32
Red Ribbon Kick Off..................... 3 P/V Stimson Charter .....................9 Fog and the Knik River Bridge...16 International Fire Conference.....25 Winter 2004 A Department of Public Safety publication bringing professionalism and humanity together. Inside Stories The DPS Quarterly (Promotions, continued on page 2) Alaska State Trooper Director Colo- nel Julia Grimes announced the following promotions: Thomas Bowman: Capt. Thomas Bowman, Retired, has been selected to fill the position of E De- tachment Commander, effective October 1, 2004. Capt. Bowman has 28 years of experi- ence and dedicated service to the Alaska State Troopers and has extensive com- mand experience. Kid Chan: Trp. Kid Chan was promoted to Corpo- ral and assigned to the DPS Training Academy in Sitka. His promotion was ef- fective November 16, 2004. His experience and dedication is well suited to the high paced and demanding performance required to provide the level of instruction expected at the Training Academy. Cpl. Chan joined the Alaska State Troopers in 1999, and on completion of the Academy, was assigned to B Detach- ment, Palmer Post. He was a regular shift OIC, FTO and member of SERT. With his transfer to Bethel Post, he was an Over- sight Trooper for 6 villages and 4 VPSOs, and was responsible for investigation of misdemeanor and felony cases. Cpl. Chan is a Defensive Tactics Instructor; a TASER Instructor and has received ad- vanced training in investigation techniques. David Willson: Trp. David Willson was promoted to Corporal and assigned to the DPS Train- ing Academy in Sitka. His promotion was effective November 16, 2004. His experience and dedication is well suited to the high paced and demanding performance required to provide the level of instruction expected at the Training Academy. Cpl. Willson joined the Alaska State Troopers in 2001, and on completion of the Academy, he was assigned to Palmer Post and worked in Patrol until 2003 when he was assigned to the newly formed Bur- glary Suppression Unit. Over the next year he concentrated on investigating property crimes as the only member of the Burglary Suppression Unit. Trp. Willson was named the Mat-Su Crimestoppers Of- ficer of the Year for 2003. He has acted as OIC and is trained in Advanced Accident Investigation, Vehicle Theft Investigation, and Insurance Fraud Investigations. Each of the Corporal’s new assign- ments will include the supervision and evaluation of academy students, to pro- vide specialized training support to the division, to function as an academy in- structor; and to develop training plans and testing devices used to evaluate stu- dent learning and performance. Colonel Grimes announced the follow- ing promotions tions to Sergeants. These Department of Public Safety Promotions

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Page 1: WINTER 2004 THE DPS QUARTERLY The DPS Quarterly

THE DPS QUARTERLY

1

WINTER 2004

Red Ribbon Kick Off.....................3

P/V Stimson Charter.....................9

Fog and the Knik River Bridge...16

International Fire Conference.....25

Winter 2004A Department of Public Safety publication bringing professionalism and humanity together.

Inside Stories

The DPS Quarterly

(Promotions, continued on page 2)

Alaska State Trooper Director Colo-nel Julia Grimes announced the followingpromotions:Thomas Bowman:

Capt. Thomas Bowman, Retired, hasbeen selected to fill the position of E De-tachment Commander, effective October 1,2004.

Capt. Bowman has 28 years of experi-ence and dedicated service to the AlaskaState Troopers and has extensive com-mand experience.Kid Chan:

Trp. Kid Chan was promoted to Corpo-ral and assigned to the DPS TrainingAcademy in Sitka. His promotion was ef-fective November 16, 2004.

His experience and dedication is wellsuited to the high paced and demandingperformance required to provide the levelof instruction expected at the TrainingAcademy.

Cpl. Chan joined the Alaska StateTroopers in 1999, and on completion ofthe Academy, was assigned to B Detach-ment, Palmer Post. He was a regular shiftOIC, FTO and member of SERT. With histransfer to Bethel Post, he was an Over-sight Trooper for 6 villages and 4 VPSOs,and was responsible for investigation ofmisdemeanor and felony cases. Cpl. Chanis a Defensive Tactics Instructor; aTASER Instructor and has received ad-vanced training in investigationtechniques.

David Willson:Trp. David Willson was promoted to

Corporal and assigned to the DPS Train-ing Academy in Sitka. His promotion waseffective November 16, 2004.

His experience and dedication is wellsuited to the high paced and demandingperformance required to provide the levelof instruction expected at the TrainingAcademy.

Cpl. Willson joined the Alaska StateTroopers in 2001, and on completion ofthe Academy, he was assigned to PalmerPost and worked in Patrol until 2003 whenhe was assigned to the newly formed Bur-glary Suppression Unit. Over the nextyear he concentrated on investigatingproperty crimes as the only member of theBurglary Suppression Unit. Trp. Willsonwas named the Mat-Su Crimestoppers Of-ficer of the Year for 2003. He has acted asOIC and is trained in Advanced AccidentInvestigation, Vehicle Theft Investigation,and Insurance Fraud Investigations.

Each of the Corporal’s new assign-ments will include the supervision andevaluation of academy students, to pro-vide specialized training support to thedivision, to function as an academy in-structor; and to develop training plansand testing devices used to evaluate stu-dent learning and performance.

Colonel Grimes announced the follow-ing promotions tions to Sergeants. These

Department of Public Safety Promotions

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Supervisors individually bring theirunique qualifications and experiences totheir positions, but collectively will bringtheir skills and leadership to the Divisionas they work toward the Division’s coremission: “To preserve public peace, pro-tect life, property and wildlife resources.”Jeffrey Laughlin:

Trp. Jeffrey Laughlin, C Detachment,Dillingham Post to Sergeant, C Detach-ment, Dillingham Post effective October 1,2004.

Sgt. Laughlin has 10 years of law en-forcement experience including five yearsas a police officer in Ketchikan. As aTrooper, Laughlin had been assigned to:Soldotna Patrol, Investigations, WesternAlaska Alcohol and Narcotics Team, andmost recently Dillingham Post. As PostSupervisor in Dillingham he will be re-sponsible for the supervision ofenforcement operations in the Dillinghamand King Salmon Post areas.Craig Allen:

Inv. Craig Allen, ABI Palmer, to Ser-geant, B Detachment, Palmer Posteffective October 1, 2004.

Sgt. Allen is an 11-year veteran withthe Alaska State Troopers and has beenassigned to: Palmer Post, Glennallen Post,and the Alaska Bureau of Investigations.He is also a Polygraph Examiner andserves on the Tactical Dive Unit andSERT. Sgt. Allen’s assignment will be as aPalmer Patrol Sergeant.Matthew Dobson:

Trp. Matthew E. Dobson, ABWEBethel Post, to Sergeant, ABWE BethelPost Supervisor, effective October 1, 2004.

Sgt. Dobson joined the Department in1996 and has been assigned to: ABWESitka Post, the Wildlife Investigation Bu-reau, and Bethel Post where he iscurrently stationed. He is an accomplishedInvestigator and Department Pilot. Sgt.Dobson’s new responsibilities will entailproviding direct supervision of the ABWEoperations of Bethel, Aniak, McGrath andSt. Marys Posts.James Helgoe:

Cpl. James Helgoe, Training Academyto Sergeant “B” Detachment, TalkeetnaPost effective December 1, 2004.

Sgt. Helgoe began his law enforcementcareer in 1993 with the Palmer Police De-partment, and also served with the SewardPolice Department until joining the AlaskaState Troopers in 1999. He has been as-signed to: Patrol and Investigations inSoldotna. He was promoted to Corporal in2002, and served as a Staff Instructor atthe DPS Training Academy in Sitka. Sgt.Helgoe will be the B Detachment,Talkeetna Post, as Post Supervisor, and re-sponsible for enforcement operations andthe day-to-day supervision of the Troop-ers at the Talkeetna Post.Andy Evarts:

Trp. Raymond “Andy” Evarts, C De-tachment, King Salmon Post, to CorporalDPS Training Academy in Sitka, effectiveJanuary 1, 2005.

Trp. Evarts joined the DepartmentMarch 2001 and was stationed in D De-tachment, Fairbanks Patrol. He was aField Training Officer, VPSO OversightTrooper, and a certified SCUBA Diver. Heassisted in the Arctic Man Detail in 2002and served as a TAC Officer at the Acad-emy.

Trp. Evarts transferred to C Detach-ment, King Salmon Post, where hecontinued his VPSO Oversight duties andassisted in the VPO Academies held inKing Salmon.

He is a State Pilot and attended theFirearms Instructor training.

Cpl. Evarts’ experience and dedicationis well suited to the high paced and de-manding performance required to providethe level of instruction expected at theTraining Academy.Keith Mallard:

Sgt. Keith Mallard, E Detachment,Girdwood Post to Lieutenant, Director’sStaff, Division Operations, effective De-cember 1, 2004.

Sgt. Mallard is a 9-year law enforce-ment veteran. He joined the Department in1997 and was stationed in D Detachment,Fairbanks Post. He became a Field Train-ing Officer, the first Dual Purpose CanineHandler and a member of SERT.

In 2000, Sgt. Mallard transferred to CDetachment, Aniak Post where, as a ruralpatrol Trooper, he supervised VPSOs andworked closely with Tribal and Village Po-lice Officers. In September 2002, he waspromoted to Sergeant and became thePost Supervisor for E Detachment,Girdwood Post.

Lt. Mallard has demonstrated his en-thusiasm and commitment to the AlaskaState Troopers and will be a welcome ad-dition to the Headquarters team.

He will be assigned special projects,and oversight of the Field Training andEvaluation Program.

In addition, he will supervise the PublicInformation Office along with an Adminis-trative Clerk II. �

Promotions,

continued from page 1

Colonel Julia Grimes announced thefollowing successful bidders. “Each willbring experience that is suited to their newassignments, and I have confidence theywill further the committed efforts of the Di-vision in meeting our core mission andresponsibilities in rural enforcement.”

Sgt. Rick Quinn, AST C Detachment,Dillingham Post, to AST D Detachment,Fairbanks, Patrol Shift Supervisor forFairbanks Patrol;

Successful Location BidsTrp. Tavis Allam, AST C Detachment

Bethel, to AST C Detachment, Dillingham;Trp. Pat Nelson, AST D Detachment,

Healy, to AST A Detachment, Ketchikan;Trp. Clint Songer , ABWE, Kenai-

Prince William Sound Region, Cordova, toABWE, Southeast Region, Wrangell;

Sgt. Mark Ridling, AST B Detachment,Palmer Patrol to AST E Detachment,Soldotna, Patrol Shift Supervisor forSoldotna Patrol;

Cpl. Matthew Hightower, AST Sitka Acad-emy, to ABWE, Mat-Su Region, Big Lake;

Sgt. Rodney Johnson, AST B Detach-ment, Talkeetna Post, to AST CDetachment, Nome, Post Supervisor;

Trp. Tage Toll, AST D Detachment,Fairbanks Patrol, to ABWE-Mat-Su Re-gion, Glennallen;

Trp. Alan Carvajal, AST D Detachment,Fairbanks to AST D Detachment, Healy;

(Successful Bids, continued on page 3)

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Trp. Brent Johnson, ABWE Kenai-Prince William Sound Region, SoldotnaPost, to ABWE Northern Region, Tok;

Trp. Vic Aye, AST E Detachment,Soldotna, to Judicial Services, Task Force,Anchorage assigned to the Alaska Fugi-tive Task Force sponsored by the U. S.Marshal’s office;

Trp. Robin Morrisett, ABWE, South-western Region, Dutch Harbor, to ABWEKenai-Prince William Sound Region,Cordova;

Trp. Todd Womack, AST C Detach-ment, Bethel, to ABADE, Major OffendersUnit;

Trp. Rachel Foster, AST D Detach-ment, Fairbanks, to AST D Detachment,Nenana;

Successful Bids,

continued from page 2 Trp. Ramin Dunford, AST Fairbanks,ABI to AST C Detachment, Bethel;

Trp. Adam Benson, AST A Detachment,Ketchikan, to AST D Detachment,Fairbanks;

Trp. Katrina Malm, AST E Detachment,Girdwood, to Wildlife Investigations Unit,Alaska Bureau of Investigations;

Trp. Michael Wooten, AST B Detach-ment, Palmer, to Wildlife InvestigationsUnit, Alaska Bureau of Investigations;

Trp. Jeff Evanoff, AST E DetachmentSeward to AST E Detachment, Girdwood;

Trp. Ronald Hayes, AST B Detachment,Palmer, to AST E Detachment, Girdwood;

Trp. Michelyn Grigg, AST B Detach-ment, Talkeetna, to ABI, Anchorage;

Trp. Nathan Bucknall, AST C Detach-ment, Kotzebue, to ABI, Mat-Su;

Trp. Adam Benson, AST A Detachment,Ketchikan, to AST D Detachment,Fairbanks;

Trp. Curtis Vik, AST E Detachment,Soldotna, to ABI, Mat-Su;

Trp. Mike Cresswell, AST E Detach-ment, Soldotna, to, ABWE, Bethel;

Inv. Mitch Doerr, Anchorage, ABIWildlife Investigations Unit, Anchorage,to ABWE, Dutch Harbor;

Trp. David Bump, Fairbanks, AST DDetachment, Fairbanks, to AST C Detach-ment, Dillingham;

Trp. Bryan Barlow, AST E Detachment,Ninilchik, to AST A Detachment,Ketchikan; and

Trp. Harold Miller, AST E Detachment,Soldotna, to AST C Detachment,Kotzebue. �

Federal, State and Municipal officialsgathered for the annual kick off of the RedRibbon campaign, an effort to support andrecognize a drug-free lifestyle.

In his proclamation, Governor FrankMurkowski expressed his concern aboutthe problems caused by drugs and alcoholin Alaska, and the positive steps he has tocombat the availability of drugs in ourgreat state.

Red Ribbon Campaign Kick OffLast year, Governor Murkowski in-

cluded 20 new trooper positions in hisbudget. The new positions were ap-proved by the legislature, and are now inthe process of being filled both throughtransfers and new hires. Two of those po-sitions have been assigned to the AlaskaBureau of Alcohol and Drug Enforcement,or ABADE, of which Captain EdHarrington is the commander. ABADE

has the daunting task of fighting drugsand alcohol on the supply side. Their jobis to stem the flow of illegal drugs into ourcommunities. It’s a big challenge, butthrough additional Troopers, dynamic en-forcement programs and excellentcooperative relationships with municipaland federal law enforcement agencies, it isbecoming more difficult than ever tosmuggle drugs or alcohol to Alaskan com-munities.

In 2003, ABADE officers seized morethan 15 thousand grams of cocaine, 3thousand grams of methamphetamine, 60thousand grams of marijuana and morethan 5 thousand marijuana plants, andmore than 900 gallons of alcohol. Effortsare being made to do even more this year.

While the ABADE troopers work to re-duce the supply side of drug and alcoholenforcement, the Troopers contract withretired Trooper sergeant Bob Sanders tospearhead the work on the demand sidethrough his leadership at D.A.R.E., theDrug Abuse Resistance Education pro-gram that impacts thousands of childrenacross Alaska each year. Dozens ofTroopers and VPSOs have been trained totake DARE into the schools of our com-(Left) Senator Lisa Murkowski, Colonel Julia Grimes, and Mayor Mark Begich

participated in the Red Ribbon Campaign Kick Off. (Red Ribbon, continued on page 4)

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munities, in an effort to reach our youthbefore the dealers and bootleggers do.

In her comments during the kick off,Colonel Julia Grimes commented, “Drugenforcement and education are two areaswhere I can speak from experience. Dur-ing my almost 22 years with the AlaskaState Troopers, I committed twelve yearsto the cat and mouse game of outsmartingdrug and alcohol smugglers. As a trooperpilot, I flew many missions in support ofdrug efforts statewide. During my servicein rural Alaska, I volunteered for DAREtraining and took the DARE program totwo Bristol Bay village schools. As aDARE Instructor, I rode across a frozenlake on an oversized dog sled pulled by asnowmachine to get to my class of fifthand six graders and flew my TrooperCessna 185 to another, both of which mayhave been a first for unique delivery sys-tems for drug education to our youth. Iwas privileged to handle K-9 Veteran, adrug detection dog who successfullysniffed out a quarter million dollars indrugs and cash seizures.

Red Ribbon,

continued from page 3

Colonel Julia Grimes discussed her work in drug enforcement during the Red RibbonKick Off.

The many years of hard work in drugenforcement by devoted and innovativeTroopers has been ongoing for decades.One of my most important mentor’s, andmy husband of 19 years, retired TrooperFirst Sgt. Jim Grimes was the recipientof the very first “Enrique Camarena”award presented in Alaska in October of1993. It was presented to him by then

head of “Alaskans for Drug Free Youth”,and now U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski.

Now, as the work continues on allfronts, let me take a moment, on behalf ofGovernor Murkowski and the Alaska StateTroopers, to thank each of you here foryour courage, dedication and commitmentto keeping our kids, to keeping all Alas-kans, drug free.” �

The Partnership for Youth Success(PaYS) Program is a recruiting initiative

AST Recruitment Joined the Army PaYS Program

Colonel Grimes and Lt. Colonel Barrowman (Army) signing to become a partner of thePaYS program. The signing was conducted on October 19th.

developed by the United States Army Re-cruiting Command (USAREC) to appeal to

young people interested in obtaining aquality civilian job after serving in theArmy. The Army trains PaYS soldiers inteamwork and leadership skills providingthem with the necessary background toexcel in the management and supervisoryif offered by the partner. The ultimatebenefactor of PaYS is the individual whovalues service, skill training, and a brightfuture with an employer after completingtheir training with the Army. Each PaYSsoldier has been pre-qualified morally,mentally, and physically and has had a fa-vorable background investigationcompleted on them prior to entry into theUS Army. As a Partner in this program,Recruitment will consider all qualifiedPaYS soldiers for employment with theDepartment of Public Safety providedthere are firm future openings at that time.Recruitment feels that this will be an excel-lent opportunity to recruit and hirequalified applicants. �

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On October 29, 2004, the staff of the Department of Public Safety’s Headquarters andthe Scientific Crime Detection Laboratory (SCDL) held a Pie Throwing fundraiser forthe Alaskan State Employee SHARE Campaign. Willie Cook from the Laboratoryorganized this year’s event. For a cash donation, staff members could practice theiraim and hurl cream pies at David Schade, Director of Statewide Services or ChrisBeheim, Laboratory Supervisor. Each of them got a good dose of sweetness as theyposed as targets. Thanks go out to them, the staff that contributed, and to Jim Dove forconstructing the backstop. Over $100 was raised during this event and the totalnumber of employees that pledged donations increased over 6 times last year’sparticipants.

In this day and age of hurry and stresswe find ourselves often in a very vulner-able position. How often do we havesomeone come along and start “pushingour buttons” instead of assisting us withthose major and minor irritations of everyday life?

Recently I was given an article thattalked about handling this sort of person.Instead of letting them get the upper handin your life’s situations, you are able totake control. In brief there are 6 differentthings to consider in dealing with your“button pusher”:1. Tone:

Tone is highly important, as you cannegate the words you are saying with theway you sound. Call your button pusherand ask for a meeting with them. The besttone is warm. Warmth conveys safety andcare, and that stands the best chance of

From the Desk of Chaplain Jerry O. Norman

This year’s SHARE campaign offi-cially started September 27 (statewide)and October 4 for the Department of Pub-lic Safety. Out of the 730 members of theDepartment, we were able to gather dona-tions totaling $22,055.00 from 103 verykind-hearted individuals. The month-longprogram gave each key worker the chanceto be creative in inviting donors to partici-pate in a number of group activities anddonate to the charitable organization(s) oftheir choice. This year ’s SHARE KeyWorkers are: Armida Yee, AST; CassandraByrne, Fire Prevention; Jan Donovan,Admin. Services (Anchorage); LuciChristopher, Admin. Services (Juneau);Willie Cook, Statewide Services; CeresaTolley, AST C Detachment; and EdKaiwara of the ABC Board. KathyCrenshaw of the Juneau Commissioner’sOffice served as one of the two Coordina-tors for the Department.

To everyone who contributed finan-cially and to those who unselfishlydonated their time and efforts to make thisyear’s SHARE Fundraising Campaign hap-pen, a heartfelt thank you! �

Four WeeksOf SHARE

BY REGOR CABALFIN, COMMISSIONER'S OFFICE

keeping your button pusher from becom-ing defensive. Remember that in asandbox fight, there needs to be an adultpresent to keep some safety and order. Ifyou can’t be the grownup, don’t dependon the button pusher to be either. Get intothe adult role, then call for the talk2. Speak from experience:

When you talk to your button pusher,speak from your experience and life. Talkfrom the heart. Use “I” statements asmuch as possible. Stay with what youfeel, think, and perceive. Talk from theheart.3. Affirm the good:

It is good to begin your talk with an af-firmation of the good both with the buttonpusher and with the relationship. Very of-ten the offender does not see the problembecause of past issues in their life. Affir-mation of good can dis-arm a negative

situation and cause them to hear from aloved position rather than from a guardedone.4. Hear him or her out:

It sounds ironic, but the conversationstands a better chance of you makingyour point if you will, early in the talk, bequiet and listen. If you hear them out, youwill find that they will be more attentive towhat you have to say since they had achance to “get it off their chest”. Hearingout your button pusher at the beginningof the conversation clears his thoughtsand allows your words to penetrate.5. Listen empathetically:

Don’t make the mistake of correctingtheir perception of you. If they have avalid point, recognize it, apologize, andagree to do something about changingyour situation. Admitting to our own ar-

(Chaplain, continued on page 6)

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Major Joe Masters, Sgt. Rodney Johnson, and Sgt. Brian Wassmann received theAlaska State Trooper's First Place Award during the International Association ofChief's of Police (IACP) Chief's Challenge ceremony during the IACP Conference inLos Angeles, California. The award recognizes highway safety programs which targetseat belt use, DUI, and speeding. The Alaska State Troopers achieved first placehonors for State Agencies with between 251 and 500 sworn personnel.

As you might know, Alaska StateTrooper Bruce A. Heck was killed in theline of duty January 11, 1997, while serv-ing with the Alaska State Troopers. Trp.Heck left behind his wife, Laurie, andchildren from a former marriage.

Concerns of Police Survivors (COPS)has announced the recent election ofLaurie Heck to the COPS’ national Boardas Pacific Region Trustee. Mrs. Heck willact as liaison between the COPS’ NationalBoard and the COPS’ chapters and theirmembers in the states of Alaska, Califor-nia, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon,and Washington.

COPS is a national non-profit organiza-tion established in 1984, to assist inrebuilding the shattered lives of survivingfamilies of law enforcement officers killedin the line of duty as determined by Fed-eral criteria. Furthermore, COPS providestraining to law enforcement agencies onsurvivor victimization issues and edu-cates the public of the need to supportthe law enforcement profession and itssurvivors. �

Laurie Heck Elected ToBoard Of Trustee

eas of fault can help de-fuse these issuesthat cause friction with your buttonpusher6. State the problem:

Make it direct and simple. Don’t beataround the bush, but don’t be unlovingeither. It is about clarity and simplicity sothat they can understand it as well as pos-sible. You want to state what it is yourperson is doing and how it affects youand others.

There is a scriptural principal here thatsays that if your brother has a problemwith you, go to them and resolve theproblem. By doing this, you save yourbrother. Also, pray for one another.

God bless you as we approach thisholiday season.

(Contact Chaplain Norman at (907) 345-2813, home; (907) 250-9659, cell; [email protected]) �

Colonel Julia Grimes presented Bruce Bowler of S.E.A.D.O.G.S. (South East AlaskaDogs for Organized Ground Searches) with the first ever State of Alaska/Alaska StateTroopers Search and Rescue “Lifetime Achievement Award” in recognition ofBowler’s “Many Years of Dedication and Selfless Sacrifice to the Citizens of the Stateof Alaska and A Detachment, Alaska State Troopers.”

Chaplain, continued from page 5

Of those to whom much is given, much is required. And when at some futuredate the high court of history sits in judgment on each one of us - recordingwhether in our brief span of service we fulfilled our responsibilities to the state-our success or failure, in whatever office we may hold, will be measured by theanswers to four questions - were we truly men of courage…were we truly men ofjudgment.. were we truly men of integrity…were we truly men of dedication?

John F. Kennedy

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Alaska Bureau of Wildlife Enforcement

CAMP DENALI, Alaska—The team ofAlaska Army and Air National Guardmembers who provide immediate re-sponse to weapons of mass destructionattacks against the United States dedi-cated its new building on FortRichardson in honor of Chief WarrantOfficer James A. Moen, October 21,2004.

A plaque was put up to recognize thetremendous contributions Chief Warrant

103rd Civil Support Team to Dedicate New BuildingTo Fallen Guardsman

Building will honor Chief Warrant Officer James A. MoenBY KALEI BROOKS

Trooper James A. Moen died in the line ofduty in an airplane crash on June 25,2001 while on a sport-fishing patrol.

Anne Moen cut the ribbon dedicating anew building on Fort Richardson in honorof Trooper James A. Moen.

Officer Moen made to the Alaska NationalGuard and the Alaska Department of Pub-lic Safety.

He was an experienced state and mili-tary pilot who died June 25, 2001, in anairplane crash during a sport-fishing pa-trol.

Chief Warrant Officer Moen dedicatedmore than 27 years to his military careerand spent 18 years with the Alaska De-partment of Public Safety, Division of Fishand Wildlife Protection.

The response facility for the 103rd CivilSupport Team (CST), which consists of 22full-time soldiers and airmen from theAlaska National Guard, encompasses12,381 square feet. The $1.5 million dollarbuilding, located next to Fort Richardson’sBryant Army Airfield, postures the 103rdCST for rapid response.

“It allows the team immediate accessto aircraft and road networks that helpproject the team to any part of Alaska,”said Maj. Chris Van Alstine, deputy com-mander of 103rd CST. “We provideimmediate 24-hour response to weaponsof mass destruction.”

The CST is designed specifically towork for civilian responders in the eventof a terrorist disaster. The 103rd CST con-tinuously trains with Alaska’s responders,working with law enforcement, the fire de-partment, and medical responders fromcommunities and villages acrossAlaska. �

The 103rd Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil support Team Response Facility wasdedicated to James A. Moen.

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“Thank you for your invitation to at-tend this dedication, and briefly speak tothe honor we now extend to a fallenTrooper. I can’t tell you how much itmeans to every Alaska State Trooper toknow that one of our own is rememberedin such a significant way.

Jim Moen and I graduated togetherfrom Alaska State Trooper Academy, Classnumber 37, in April of 1983. Although noreal challenge for Jim, the riggers of a“boot camp like” program were a new ex-perience for me. With his sense of humor

Dedication Of The Alaska Army And Air National Guard FacilityCOMMENTS BY COLONEL JULIA GRIMES

and his help, he made that 14 weeks farmore enjoyable for me and we formed thebond that tends to unite the members ofthe law enforcement family. This is thebond that connects us all to those whohave gone before.

Jim and I were friends at the academy,and after graduation, Jim, his wife Anne,and I remained friends, even if we didn’tget to see each other very often.

Then, as often happens in careers likelaw enforcement or the military, assign-ments took us in different directions, andthe years moved by. Although Jim and Iserved in two very different capacitieswith the Troopers, Jim in Wildlife Enforce-ment, and me going into drug enforcementand then rural enforcement, we bothshared a love of flying and a deep pride inbeing a Trooper.

Jim’s days were filled with flying, look-ing for bad guys, catching bad guys andlooking for opportunities to be of serviceto the public…sometimes, just lookingdown at the beauty and wonder that isAlaska and her wildlife, and marveling as I

often did, that we were actually gettingpaid to do this job from the cockpit of abright blue tail dragger bearing our badge.In other words, Jim was doing the job ev-ery day and loving it.

And so it was the day he died; doing ajob in which he took enormous pride andfrom which he received great satisfaction.

When a trooper dies, the effect reso-nates throughout the collective heart ofthe law enforcement family. Jim’s deathwas untimely; there is no way we can rec-tify what happened that day. But we canhonor his life and his contribution to lawenforcement, as well as the dedication toservice that defined how Jim performedhis duties.

Today’s dedication of this building inJim’s name will act as a reminder to thatcall to duty. Each time we see his namehere, we will remember the man, the family,and friends who miss him, and be encour-aged to be truer to our calling as warriorsand guardians. It’s a fine tribute and Idon’t know about you but I can see himgrinning………�

The warm days of summer are past usagain as we head into the wonderfulSoutheast Alaska rainy season. The raincomes right in time for the hunting sea-son. Life in Southeast seems to beextremely busy these days, Troopersheading out for TDY patrols, boats shift-ing locations, seasonal PSTs going onLWOP status. We are finally once againfully staffed. All our manned posts havepersonnel stationed at them.

Welcome back to Trp. Clint Songer,Wrangell post, who has returned after a 2year hiatus in Cordova. Southern South-east has been up to their elbows inGeoduck and Sea Cucumber slime. Sgt.Bernard Chastain is probably at thispoint wondering why he left the interior tomove to Ketchikan. The troops therehave been working some major commercialfishery cases along with game patrols.

ABWE Southeast RegionBY CAROLYN S. HALL, JUNEAU

Trp. Jeremy Baum and Tech CharlieJohnson patrolled Wrangell prior toSonger’s arrival.

Trp. Mark Finses was sent to work acouple sub-legal moose cases in Wrangell.Trp. Dan Shamhart patrolled theWrangell/Petersburg/Kake/Kiui Moosehunts. One question that arose is howmany moose heads will fit into a 32 cubicfoot freezer?

For Northern Southeast Moose seasonTrp. Todd Machacek handled the Kake/Kiui Island patrol with help fromAnchorage’s Seasonal Tech David Craig.After this Todd went TDY to Yakutat forthe moose season there.

Trp. Shaun Kuzakin (Sitka Post), Trp.Glenn Knapp (Juneau Post), Trp. AndySavland (Hoonah Post) also patrolled themoose in Yakutat. Trp. Scott Carson(Sitka Post) and Sgt. Steve Hall (Juneau

Post) assisted Trp. Pat McMullin inHaines with the moose hunt there. Trp.Rob Welch (Juneau Post) went TDY toGustavus to handle the moose hunt. Thisseason brought approx. 18 illegal moosecases.

Trp. Clyde Campbell has been helpingout on Prince of Wales Island with thedeer season. Trp. Glenn Taylor spentsome time in Juneau working awaiting thebirth of his daughter Katalian. Trp. HervIbarra was off to the NASAR Conferencealong with Rob Welch and Scott Carson.Prince of Wales seems to have its fairshare of SARs so this training will be ben-eficial. Trp. Tom Lowy has been keepinghis feet wet, spending time taking the P/VInterceptor out on Sport Fish and Com-mercial Fish Patrols along with searchingfor overdue boaters.

(ABWE Southeast, continued on page 9)

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ABWE Southeast,continued from page 8

The new P/V Enforcer is estimated tobe in Ketchikan by the end of December.PST McClennan has spent the past fewmonths helping out off and on the P/VWoldstad. Between patrols he has re-turned to help at Ketchikan Post. Thelatest patrol was the Bering Sea KingCrab. The building of the new Enforcerhas kept BO III Laurence Nagy working in

Well, it has been a while since a re-port came out from the Southwestern neckof the woods and I thought it might be agood time to update everyone on what ex-actly has been going on out here.February brought a new sergeant toDutch Harbor. Sgt. Greg Garcia and hisfamily arrived and they have adjusted tothe island life well. Being as they werestationed in Hoonah at one time, they arefamiliar with island life. Dutch Harborpost has been busy as always with com-mercial groundfish and crab fisheries,along with special charter operations. InApril, the P/V Stimson was chartered bythe U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to ob-serve and tag walrus near the edge of theice pack in the Bering Sea. This providedthe crew of the P/V Stimson and myself,with a very up close and personal look atthe loud, foul smelling, but amusing crea-tures. All in all, it was a very fun andinformative trip.

In the summer months, the P/V Stimsononce again participated in the 2004 Bristol

and out of Texas. Nagy is currently athome on leave “with 3 boys” reboundingquickly. We are sure he will return to workas soon as possible.

Lt. Todd Sharp spent 10 days in An-chorage in Scuba Dive Instructor School.As time permits he will soon get Sgt.Steve Hall back in the water. PSTs KenMcIntosh and Charlie Johnson have beenbusy working with NMFS doing JEAboardings, this along with the post dutieshave kept them on the go.

We are finally coming into the 21st cen-tury in Southeast. The past 2 months wehave seen delivery of 4 new patrol trucks,new computers, and digital cameras forthe troops. We have sold off 4 boats, 2of which were open Boston Whalers, ariverboat and the P/V Spiridon. The P/VIntegrity was transferred to the Universityof Alaska Fairbanks, fishery program herein Juneau.

From all of us in Southeast have a won-derful and safe holiday season. �

Southwestern Region ABWEBY: TRP. RALF LYSDAHL

Bay Red Salmon fishery program. Therewere many new faces on the boat for TDYpersonnel.

Trp. Rob Hunter from Haines came outto play off the big boat and Public Safety

Tech’s Brian Belleville and Dave Wolfewere also onboard for logistical support.The weather was wonderful this year,sunny and warm. It was different having

The P/V Stimson was chartered by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to observe andtag walrus near the edge of the ice packin the Bering Sea. The ship's personnel was able to get up close and personal with walrus.

(ABWE SW, continued on page 10)

Sgt. Greg Garcia and Jim Stenglein and his son, Joe. Sgt. Garcia presents JimStenglein with his 15 year pin.

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Another summer season has comeand gone, and with it, like the seasons,there have been changes. The Kenai Pen-insula / Prince William Sound Region hasseen more than its share of these changes.First, Trp. Travis Hedlund left us to gowork down the street, and then viola hewas back. He brought back with him sto-ries of pursuits and fights and long darknights.

Then another familiar face showed upin our place, a former Major coming backto his roots. With him comes years of ex-perience and wisdom, horses, goats,chickens, turkeys etc. He has been cer-emonially named the “sheriff of NorthKenai”. It’s un-retired Major JimCockrell! What a welcome addition. Wealso welcome Trp. Darrel Christensenfrom down the street. Christensen will beour eye in the sky, taller than any of us,contrary to his nickname. In Seward, weare excited to have Trp. Marc Cloward. Hehas jumped in with both feet, and kept

Rob Morrisett holds his going away gift, as he poses with his wife Tita, and daughtersCassandra and Christina.

ABWE Southwestern, continued from page 9

to worry about sunburn, rather than beingcold and wet all the time, when out in theskiffs, but no one complained as far as Iheard. There were a few rough days, butotherwise a really good season for

ABWE Kenai/Prince William SoundBY SGT. GLENN GODFREY, JR.

weather and fish. Towards the end of thefishery, the P/V Stimson loaded the P/VKvichak onto the deck and headed forSeward to drop it off and go out on a sealion charter in Prince William Sound.

When the charter was all said and done,the P/V Stimson went in to shipyard inSeward for the biannual maintenance andrepairs during August and into September.The crew and boat returned home after be-ing out of port for a total of 3 months andeveryone was ready for a little break.

This fall is bringing a few new changesto the post. Trp. Rob Morrisett is trans-ferring to Cordova post effectiveNovember15, 2004. We wish Rob and hisfamily the best in his new digs and hopethe transition is smooth for all. At Rob’sgoing away party, the post also recog-nized James Stenglein for his 15 years ofservice to the State of Alaska. Jim is a val-ued crewman aboard the P/V Stimson andkeeps things running as smooth as pos-sible.

So as the year winds down and thereare no more patrols scheduled for the P/VStimson, everyone is busy catching up onprojects that have been put aside, and try-ing to get ahead until the next year startsanew. We wish everyone a safe and joy-ous upcoming holiday season. �

those feet out of the air and on the groundand in the water.

In Cordova, we welcome Rob Morrisettwho was somehow able to escape fromthe clutches of Dutch Harbor. He’s alreadytrying to figure out how to use the P/VStimson in some of the local rivers. Tokeep Rob in check we have a new clerkSheryl Glasen, who also has her work cutout for her keeping Sgt. Paul McConellunder control.

Sadly, with change also come good-byes. We’ve had to say so long to Trp.Brent Johnson who found the tropicalweather of the Peninsula unbearable andheaded north to Tok. Good luck Brent,Mariah and Madison. May the northernlights keep you warm at night. Trp. ClintSonger packed his bags and headed evenfurther south to Wrangell where themountain goats trim your grass for you.Jason Eagley has moved on to fly, fly, fly,and fly some more. We wish all of yougood luck.

In other news, Trp. Lisa Alleva is stillin Girdwood and has provided severalwild animals homes over this last summer.Trps. Travis Bordner and Todd Vanlierelove their new boat the P/V Augustine.They have both kept busy with sport fish-eries and moose seasons. If not on theroad, they can often be found at the cabinin the Caribou Hills or on their boat.

Lt. Steve Bear is spending a produc-tive three months in Quantico Va., at theFBI National Academy. From what I hear,there is no finer institution in the country.While jogging one day, (yes I said he wasjogging) he actually ran into PresidentGeorge Bush (not literally) and got toshake his hand. I just hope he didn’t gethimself a job in homeland security that willkeep him from coming back. Sgt.McConnell is holding down the fort inCordova working closely with Trps. TonyBeck, Lisa Alleva and Marc Cloward inhis outposts. As usual Trp. Beck made

(ABWE Kenai, continued on page 11)

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good use of his boat making cases andsaving lives, and having fun.

Sgt. Glenn Godfrey, well he has beenglued to his desk for the last few months,and rumor has it there is anothermunchkin running around his house.However, we are unable to confirm this, asnobody has been able to count all of thelittle heads in his 15-passenger bus. If heapplies for a CDL, then we can safely as-sume that there has been some familygrowth. Trp. Todd Mountain, as usual gothimself a moose and several deer, securingmoose burgers for the next century ofpost barbecues. At last count Trp. AlexArduser had bagged himself a moose,caribou, deer, sheep, goat, and ducks, butnot yet a wife. Trp. Dan Dahl has himself ahouse and a dog, which he often remindsus is a huge responsibility. Just wait Dan,just wait. It’s a good thing you don’t haveany hair left to lose. Between docksideboardings in Homer, we don’t often letGeorge Parks out of the shop since hishands always have ball bearing grease oroutboard oil on them. Finally, DenaBronson is still here keeping us all incheck. She catches all the mistakes theSgt. and Lt. miss (not that the Lt. wouldever miss or even make a mistake). So, ifyou are ever in the neighborhood, stop onby and have a cup of Dena’s famous cof-fee, legend says that it is strong enoughto bring the dead to life. All I know is Ihave a funny twitch in my left eye and Ican type 300 words a minute after a cup. �

AST Wildlife Enforcement personnelconducted routine vessel boardings aspart of the Bristol Bay Red King Crab fish-ery patrol program. On October 23,Troopers boarded the F/V Aleutian Mari-ner and conducted routine crew licensechecks.

What they found was not routine. Oneof the crewmembers had a warrant for hisarrest; wanted for escaping communitycustody from Washington Department of

ABWE Kenai,continued from page 10

Trp. Brent Johnson handles meal timeand feeds his first child...instead ofhimself.

Trp. Travis Hedlund is hot on the trail of every illegal emu on the Peninsula!

Sgt. Glenn Godfrey, Jr. (left) presented Trp. Brent Johnson with a plaque ofappreciation during his farewell.

Corrections. The individual was subject toworldwide extradition following his arrest,and to be remanded without bail until theWashington extradition team could takecustody of him. The subject was arrestedand charged as a Fugitive from Justiceand was remanded to Unalaska PoliceDepartment’s jail until the following daywhen he was transported to the Anchor-age jail pending extradition toWashington. �

They Can Run But…

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The Ketchikan Gateway Borough completed the sale of the former Gateway ClubBuilding to the State for use as the new Headquarters of the Alaska State TroopersDetachment A, which serves all of Southeast Alaska. Borough Mayor MichaelSalazar handed over the keys to State Commissioner of Public Safety Bill Tandeskeduring a brief ceremony on November 1, 2004. Mayor Salazar thanked GovernorFrank Murkowski, Commissioner Tandeske, the Borough Assembly, and formerAssembly member and former State Commissioner of Public Safety Dick Burton fortheir support in seeing this project through to fruition. The new facility is located at7366 North Tongass Highway.

AST Detachment News

A Fond Farewell:Ketchikan Post bids a fond farewell to

Trp. Adam Benson and family, who will bemaking their move to Fairbanks in Novem-ber. Trp. Benson will literally get hiscareer off the ground, once again, with theopportunity to make use of his pilot’s li-cense in Fairbanks. The Benson familywill be dearly missed.Speaking of Moving…

RDIII Shelly Dunn, ACIII Linda Deal,Capt. Kurt Ludwig, and Lt. Rodney Dialhave been diligently working toward de-signing, outfitting, organizing andpreparing for Ketchikan Post’s move to itsnew location tentatively scheduled forFebruary 2005.

The legislature approved funds for thedesign of the new facility in 2001, andfunds for construction in 2003. KetchikanPost has been at its present location since1972.

A Detachment NewsBY RDII MARIANNE THOMSON, AST KETCHIKAN

PHOTO BY HALL ANDERSON, KETCHIKAN DAILY NEWS

Commissioner Bill Tandeske was inKetchikan on November 1st whenKetchikan Gateway Borough Mayor MikeSalazar officially handed over the keys tothe A Detachment Headquarters/Ketchikan Post building. Also on handwere Senator Bert Stedman, Retired DPSCommissioner Dick Burton,Capt.Ludwig, Sgt. Lonny Piscoya, Trp.Benson, Klawock Trp. Bob Claus,Gretchen Pence, Linda Deal and ShellyDunn.Set to Sail Soon:

The P/V Enforcer sea trials are cur-rently underway in Texas. ABWE isanticipating the vessel’s delivery toKetchikan during the second week of De-cember.Out and About:

Ketchikan Post welcomes Trp. PatrickNelson, who transferred to Ketchikanfrom Healy in October.

Trp. Patrick Nelson welcomed inKetchikan.

Trps. Mark Eldridge, Mark Finses andShane Nicholson were successful on anAugust deer hunt. Trp. Eldridge baggedthe deer.

Ketchikan Post welcomed ABWE TechCharles Johnson in September. Johnsonwas hard at work from Day-One. Amonghis tasks were the confiscation of a moosein the Wrangell area.

ABWE Tech Charles Johnson arrived inKetchikan in September.Six Arrested in POW, Ketchikan Raids:

ABWE Trps. Herv Ibarra and GlennTaylor, Klawock Post, along withKetchikan Trps. Eldridge, Nicholson, and

(A Detachment, continued on page 13)

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Nelson, and SEANET Investigators inKetchikan, assisted the Craig Police De-partment in raiding eight locations andarresting six people on felony drugcharges in Craig, Ketchikan, and Klawockon October 25.

The raids followed a long-term investi-gation by several agencies regarding theuse, sale, and delivery of Methamphet-amine and prescription drugs. TrooperInvestigates MVA; Seizes 43 Grams of Co-caine

Trp. Walter Blajeski, Klawock Post,responded to a rollover accident at mile 12of the Hydaburg Road on Prince of WalesIsland on October 22. The driver was ar-rested for driving under the influence.During a routine search prior to placingthe suspect in the patrol vehicle, Trp.Blajeski located 43 individual one-grampackets of cocaine in the suspect’spocket.

The Trooper later learned the suspecthad told others that he was planning tocapitalize on the recently disbursed PermFund and other checks. The Trooper ob-tained a search warrant for the suspect’sresidence, which resulted in further drugand weapons charges.Annual Woodcutting Party:

In the fall of 1999, Troopers received acomplaint from then-71-year-old StellaMcAllister, a resident of Prince of Wales,who indicating a number of her personal

A Detachment, continued from page 12

Trps. Mark Eldridge, Mark Finses, and Shane Nicholson had a successful deer hunt inAugust.

checks had been stolen. The investiga-tion revealed a handyman from Ketchikanhad been hired to cut wood for the winter.The man was paid, then completed onlyabout half the job and stole blank checksfrom Mrs. McAllister before he left thearea.

When the troopers realized that theresident had only one month of wood left,they organized a wood cutting party andchopped enough wood to last through thewinter. Troopers have made it an annualevent since then.

On October 23, 2004, Sgt. BernardChastain, Trps. Jeremy Baum, Tom Lowy,and Clyde Campbell headed for Happy

The wood chopping crew: Trps. Jeremy Baum, Tom Lowy, and Clyde Campbell; andSgt. Bernard Chastain. Stella McAllister is in the center.

What's wrong with this picture? Trp.Clyde Campbell carried a tree...

...while Trp. HervIbarra appears to havecarried a stick!Harbor on Prince of Wales Island. Thetroopers who have pitched in to help, ontheir own time, have changed over theyears, but the tradition has continued. �

(A Detachment photos, page 14)

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A Detachment, continued from page 13

Congratulations, Trp. Eldridge! Lt. Rodney Dial, Sgt. Lonny Piscoya and Capt. KurtLudwig present Trp. Mark Eldridge with his 5-Year pin on October 4th.

Troopers Drop by Day Care Center: Trp. Adam Benson and Trp. Mark Finses made apublic appearance at the Busy Bee Day Care on September 4. Also shown here is Trp.Benson’s wife, Julie (right), who teaches preschool at the day care center.

(At left) RDII John Rymer completes hisPT test for the Court Service Officerposition in Ketchikan.

Greenpeace demonstration in WrangellAugust 5. Beneath the GreenpeaceTripods are Trps. Chris Umbs and GlennKnapp, along with Wrangell PD ChiefDoug McCloskey.

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE KETCHIKAN DAILY NEWS

(At right) Trp. Mark Finses modelsequipment used for his Ketchikan Postrestroom janitorial duties.

The truth comes out about what bearsactually do and don’t do in the woods.

If you live to be a hundred, Iwant to live to be a hundred minusone day, so I never have to livewithout you. Winnie the Pooh

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Congratulations to Trp. Rick Pyles inserving an eventful 20 years with the De-partment of Public Safety. Trp. Pylesstarted his career in 1984 for AnchorageAST. He went to Anchorage Judicial Ser-vices (J.S.) in 1986. He continued in 1987to St. Mary’s, then moving the to StateTraffic Enforcement Program in 1990. Hewent to Palmer AST Patrol in 1995 and iscurrently serving at Palmer J.S. Congratu-lations!!

SERT. Congratulations Craig and goodluck.

Cpl. James Helgoe has been promotedfrom the Training Academy to the Ser-geant position B Detachment, atTalkeetna Post effective December 2004.He began his law enforcement career in1993 with the Palmer Police Department,and also served with the Seward PoliceDepartment until joining the Alaska StateTroopers in 1999. He has been assignedto Soldotna Patrol and Soldotna Investi-

B Detachment NewsBY LISA BUCHER, AST PALMER

Trp. Rick Pyles received his 20-yearaward with cake to celebrate.

On the departing front, Sgt. RodneyJohnson has relocated to Nome AST andSgt. Mark Ridling has relocated toSoldotna AST. We will miss them both!

We would like to congratulate the newrecruits Trp. Nathan Duce, Trp. DeanWhisler, Trp. Josh Heinbaugh, Trp.Mitchell Lewis, and Trp. Kim Sledgisterin becoming part of the family here at BDetachment. Welcome and good luck!Additions/Subtractions

Inv. Craig Allen, ABI Palmer, hasmoved into a patrol Sergeant position at BDetachment, Palmer Post in November2004. He is an 11-year veteran with theAlaska State Troopers and has been as-signed to Palmer Post, Glennallen Post,and the Alaska Bureau of Investigations.He is also a Polygraph Examiner andserves on the Tactical Dive Unit and

Capt. Dennis Casanovas (left) presented Sgt. Mark Ridling with a plaque ofappreciation. He has relocated to Soldotna.

Sgt. Rodney Johnson received a plaque ofappreciation from Capt. DennisCasanovas. He has relocated to Nome.

gations. He was promoted to Corporal in2002 and served as a Staff Instructor atthe DPS Training Academy in Sitka. Sgt.Helgoe will be responsible for enforce-ment operations and the day-to-daysupervision of the Troopers and an Ad-ministrative Clerk II at the Talkeetna Post.Congratulations Sgt. Helgoe and goodluck.

Trp. David Willson joined the AlaskaState Troopers in 2001. Upon completionof the Academy he was assigned toPalmer Post and worked in Patrol until2003. He was then assigned to the newlyformed Burglary Suppression Unit. Overthe next year he concentrated on investi-gating property crimes as the only memberof the Burglary Suppression Unit. Trp.Willson was named the Mat-Su CrimeStopper Officer of the Year for 2003. Hehas acted as OIC and is trained in Ad-vanced Accident Investigation, VehicleTheft Investigation, and Insurance FraudInvestigations. Trp. Willson was pro-moted to Corporal and transferred to theSitka Academy for his new assignment.Congratulations Dave and good luck.

Trp. Michelyn Grigg has transferredfrom B Detachment Talkeetna Post to An-chorage, Alaska Bureau of Investigation.Good luck Mikey!

(B Detachment, continued on page 16)

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It was a foggy day when a group of

motorists met on the northbound lanes ofthe Glenn Highway on the Knik RiverBridge. Around 9 a.m., the cars and trucksstarted to show up…and stayed there!The investigation revealed 18 vehicleswere involved in the collision, which be-gan when the lead vehicle, a pick up truckpulling a trailer, lost control on the icecovered bridge and spun sideways acrossthe road. The other vehicles were unableto stop or avoid the accident and seem-ingly just kept on coming.

Four individuals involved in the inci-dent were injured and taken to ValleyHospital in Palmer for treatment. PalmerPolice Department, Wasilla Police Depart-ment and the Anchorage PoliceDepartment responded to assist Trooperswith the accident, along with ambulanceand rescue crews from Palmer and CentralMat-Su Volunteer Departments.

There were also three other accidentsin the southbound lanes which occurredin the area while officials worked to clearthe original accident.

State Troopers attribute icy conditionsand poor visibility due to the fog, as con-tributing factors to the accident as well aspeople driving too fast for conditions.The Glenn Highway traffic was interruptedin both directions for approximately anhour and a half. Normal traffic resumedapproximately 2 1/2 hours after the inci-dent was reported.

Trp. Ledelle Arntson was respondingto the incident and became a participantwhen his patrol vehicle was hit at leastfour separate times during the incident.Trp. Arntson was able to assist with trafficcontrol and use his fire extinguisher tocontrol a truck fire. �

B Detachment, continued from page 15

Lt. Hans Brinke has been transferredfrom ABADE to B Detachment in Palmer.Welcome and good luck Lt. Brinke!

Trp. Ron Hayes has been transferredfrom B Detachment Palmer Post toGirdwood AST and will be working the

slopes. He will begin duty there in De-cember. Good luck Ron!

Trp. Michael Wooten has been trans-ferred from B Detachment DUI team to theABI Wildlife Investigations Unit in An-chorage. Good luck Mike!

Here is your sign!Just a little reminder to be careful what

you get on your personalized licenseplates. An individual was stopped onJuly 22, 2004, with his plate sayingTHINK while his violation was for failureto stop for a stop sign. There was anotherlicense plate saying CMYTAG, and hisviolation was for expired plates. �

Showdown At The Knik River Bridge

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Good bye and hello:Winter is coming, the snow is on the

ground and the summer fires are gone. DDetachment has said lots of good-byes inthe past few months. Trp. TeagueWidmier has transferred to Bethel Postwhile Trp. Joseph Hazelaar has gone toBethel ABADE. Trp. Tage Toll went toGlenallen ABWE and Trp. Pat Nelson hasgone to Ketchikan. Trp. David Bump willbe in Dillingham in December. We alsohave Trp. Ledelle Arnston and Trp.Marvin Randall both retired (Marvinagain). Two of our troopers have stayed inD Detachment but moved to the ParksHwy. Alan Carvajal has transferred toHealy and Rachel Foster is the newNenana Trooper.

We’re happy to have newly promotedLt. Burke Barrick and his wife, Bau,back in Fairbanks from Nome.

D Detachment also welcomed Sgt.Rick Quinn and his family back toFairbanks from Dillingham. Trooper Re-cruits Malik Jones, Michael Potter,Jonnathon Stroebele and Toma Caldareahave completed the FTO program.

Kathi Young joined AST in October asan Admin. Clerk II. A new addition to dis-patch is Jessica Lenahan. Best wishes toAdmin. Clerk Patricia Brown and FredWagner who married in Fairbanks on No-vember 6.

Over at Judicial Services, JulieJohnson has taken the Admin. Clerk posi-tion vacated by Lucy Keturi who is thenew CSO.

Boys are outnumbering the girls in newarrivals in D Detachment. Recent addi-tions included Justin Tyler Covey ,weighing in at 8 pounds, 19 and three-quarters inches long, born to Trp. JakeCovey and wife Rachel of Cantwell on Au-gust 16, 2004. He joins big sister Madyson.

Trp. Michael Roberts and wife Mandiwelcomed their first child, Tyler RichardRoberts on August 24, 2004. Tylerweighed in at 8 pounds, 13 ounces.

Tim and Cindy Tuckwood of Delta areproud new parents of a baby girl, SkylarVictoria Tuckwood, born October 25,

D Detachment NewsBY SUSANNE ROGERS, AST FAIRBANKS

Justin Tyler Covey joined the family ofTrp. Jake Covey, his wife Rachel, and bigsister Madyson.

Tyler Richard Roberts was welcomed byTrp. Michael Roberts and his wife Mandi.Tyler seems destined to "join the force".

Trp. Tim Tuckwood and his wife, Cindy,are proud of their daughters. SadieTuckwood is truly a little trooper when itcomes to helping out with her new littlesister Skylar Victoria Tuckwood.

2004, at 11:41 p.m. weighing 6 pounds 10ounces and 20 inches long. Skylar joinsSadie Tuckwood, 2 years of age to roundout the Tuckwood family.

Trp. Brian Ziesel and wife Lydia arehappy to announce the arrival of AaronJames Zeizel who weighed in at 7pounds, 13 ounces on November 5, 2004,in Fairbanks. Aaron joins Hannah 16, Evan15, Emma 14, Ian 9, and Ryan 5.Happy Halloween:

Dispatch in Fairbanks was rather“fowl” on Halloween. Dispatcher ScottVinton , who has recently become achicken farmer of sorts, wanted to be achicken for Halloween. Dispatcher KittyLancaster, displaying one of her many tal-ents, took on the task of designing andsewing up the costume for Scott.

Later in the day a bird was seen hang-ing out in ABWE reading huntingregulations. The rough grouse is noneother than Kitty Lancaster who made her-self the grouse costume.

It's Chicken Man! Scott Vinton wanted tobe a "chicken farmer" for Halloween.Kitty Lancaster designed and created thecostume.

(D Detachment, continued on page 18)

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Big news in E Detachment was the re-tirement of Capt. Tom Bowman .Fortunately for us, Capt. Bowman was re-hired and is once again at the helm of EDetachment. It seems Capt. Bowman madethe most of his lazy days, as is evidencedby this photographic proof of his refusalto shave. Now that he is back at work, hisSanta-Claus alter ego is history.

Trp. Ryan Browning and wife Kim-berly welcomed their new son, CalebEugene, on October 4, 2004. Congratula-tions to both of them on a job well done!

Pre-schoolers from Cook Inlet Academyvisited Soldotna Post and were thrilled tobe in the driver’s seat. Trps. John Groover

D Detachment, continued from page 17

Checking up on the grouse hunting laws, is none other than Halloween costumed KittyLancaster!

Deltana FairBY MAGISTRATE TRACY BLAIS

The Deltana Fair was held August 20 to22. We had a dunk tank to raise money forour senior class trip to Hawaii. Trp. SteveLantz sat in the tank for 45 minutes on Fri-day night after his work shift and hebrought in over $300. He came again onSaturday afternoon before his work shiftand sat for 2 hours and brought in over$450. We were selling water and also hada donation can so we can’t be certain ofthe exact total but we are confident that healone brought us over $750. That is amaz-

ing!!! We surely appreciated his help andgenerosity. From my perspective, as amagistrate, a long time community memberand a mom, Trp. Lantz went a long way to-wards fostering a healthy and positiverole model for the troopers. There weredefinitely some folks that paid to officiallysay they “dunked” a trooper but therewere lots more that were just purely im-pressed with his community spirit andvolunteering to help out the kids.

Essentially, by doing this, he becomesa person in the community, not just a blue

uniform in the community. It will make adifference in how he is treated and, in thelong run, how people view the troopers asan organization.

To some extent, even more important,he forged a bond with those young folkswho endured the dunk tank with him.They have a great deal of respect for himthat can be converted to rapport with avery impressive group of our community.That equals a win-win situation for all ofus-the troopers, the kids, and the commu-nity. �

Trp. Steve Lantz got soaked for a goodcause, helping to raise over $750 for asenior class trip.

E Detachment NewsBY SHAE HOLLANDSWORTH, AST SOLDOTNA

and Elizabeth Haddad provided guidedtours of the building, but the cars and si-rens were most popular attractions.

In a September awards ceremony, Sgt.Brandon Anderson received his Ad-vanced Certificate. Inv. Dane Gilmore andTrp. Larry Erickson received their 10-year pins, and Janet Palmer from JSreceived her 5-year pin.

Trps. Jim Truesdell, Travis Hedlund,Darrel Christensen, John Cyr, and BrentJohnson received special recognition fortheir efforts in the Memorial Day enforce-ment around the Anchor Point area. Thecommunity was very pleased with the in-creased patrols and Trooper presence,and many community members sentthank-you letters.

Capt. Tom Bowman

(E Detachment, continued on page 19)

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nated the use of his house and muscles,they were able to hold a fundraising ga-rage sale. They would also like to thankeveryone who donated items for the sale.Kosto and Goggia must raise $10,000 inorder to participate in the race, with themoney going towards cancer research. EDetachment is very proud of Lisa andTammy, and we wish them the best of luckin the December marathon.

NEWSFLASH! Trp. Bill Welch is offi-cially OLD! The Girdwood communitycame out in force to wish Trp. Welch ahappy 50th birthday. On hand were fellowTroopers, the Girdwood Fire Department,and various Girdwood residents. As itwas, the big 5-0, well-wishers were ad-vised to keep it mellow and not startle Trp.Welch.

Trps. John Groover and Elizabeth Haddad hosted Cook Inlet Academy pre-schoolers foran unforgettable show 'n' tell event.

Trps. Jim Truesdell, Travis Hedlund, Carrel Christensen, John Cyr, and BrentJohnson received special recognition for their efforts during enforcement duringMemorial Day.

E Detachment, continued from page 18

A big welcome to Sgt. Mark Ridling,who joins the Soldotna post after spend-ing three years in Palmer Patrol. We hopeMark and his family love the Soldotnaarea.

The front counter has a new, yet famil-iar face—Chris Hopkins has joined theclerical staff at the Soldotna Post. Hopkinsworked for ABWE in Soldotna for 13years, so if you run into her at the frontcounter, don’t think you’ve gone to thewrong building!

The Soldotna Dispatch center wel-comes Oralee Nudson. Nudson was bornand raised here in Alaska, and has aBachelor’s Degree in Computer Science

and a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology.With those credentials, she’s perfectlysuited to dealing with all of the Dispatchequipment and, er…clients.

Congratulations to Carly Reimer, LisaKosto, and Jennifer Russell, our new Dis-patch Shift Supervisors. All three havebeen enthusiastically learning their addi-tional duties and make great supervisors.

Dispatch Shift Supervisor Lisa Kostoand Dispatch Supervisor Tammy Goggiaare in training for their upcoming marathonin Hawaii. In addition to the physical de-mands, they are also working hard in theirfundraising efforts. With the help of ABIInv. Cornelius “Moose” Sims, who do-

Trp. Bill Welch bravely faced his 50thbirthday.

K-9 Nissan took a spin in Girdwood’snew Dog Wash machine. Will they evermake one of these for kids?

K-9 Nissan tried out the new doggie wash.

(E Detachment, continued on page 20)

Seth Rupe was found wandering thestreets of Homer. During an intense inter-rogation session, it was discovered thathe was looking for his grandmother (butapparently she was trespassed from theHomer area and fled to Fairbanks). As aresult, he was confiscated as state prop-

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E Detachment,

continued from page 19

erty and turned over to his dad, Trp. Jer-emy Rupe.

Seth Rupe set out for a big adventure allon his own.

The Soldotna Evidence room has beentransformed from a nightmarish cave to adream storage space, thanks to upgradedlighting, new paint, and space-savershelving units. Many people helped inmaking this difficult project a success.Evidence Custodian Cathy Clark wouldlike to acknowledge all the people whohelped out with this monumental task.Thanks go out to the Counter Drug Sup-port Program from the National Guard forschlepping upwards of 10,000 evidenceitems to secure, temporary housing. Sgt.Larry Ryan from the National Guard gavethe entire evidence room a fresh coat ofpaint, which lightened the room up con-siderably. E Detachment Capt. Bowmanassisted with shelving, and Sgt. Dan

Can you identify this "one cool dude"? He claims to smoke the same kind of cigars asPresident Clinton. Look for his identity revealed later in this publication.

Sgt. Dan Donaldson is cleverly disguisedas a cement expert.

Donaldson did concrete work to even outthe floor. Thanks, also, to ABADE clerkEarlene Reed for her assistance. Withoutall of you, this project could not havebeen undertaken.

Sgt. Dan Donaldson donates his timeand cement expertise to even out the floorof the Soldotna Evidence room.

Is it Billy Ray Cyrus? Is it DeeSnyder? No—it’s our very own Trp. JimJohnson. He was so excited to have hairof any type that he didn’t even mind amullet!

Trp. Jim Johnson makes a fashionstatement.

Soldotna Post says goodbye to Trps.Vic Aye and Joey Beaudoin. Trp. Aye isleaving Soldotna post after many, manyyears to join Anchorage JS. We’ll miss himgreatly, and have a feeling that people inour community will be driving a little fasterwithout Aye around. Trp. Beaudoin joinsthe Bethel post. We hope they know howlucky they are to get such a hard-working,dedicated Trooper! �

Trp. Joey Beaudoin and his girlfriendCourtney are headed to Bethel.

Trp. and Mrs. Vic Aye say “so long” toSoldotna Post.

"There is a rule in sailingwhere the more maneuver-able ship should give way tothe less maneuverable craft.I think this is sometimes agood rule to follow in hu-man relations as well."

Dr. Joyce BrothersPsychologist

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Division of Fire PreventionAlaska Fire Fatalities Fall Below The National Average

The Alaska Division of Fire Preven-tion is pleased to announce that Alaskafire fatalities fall below the national aver-age for the first time in history. In 2003,the United States averaged 1.3 fire deathsper 100,000 people, Alaska averaged 1.1fire deaths per 100,000.

This means that Alaskans were lesslikely to die from fire than other people inthe United States. This is an impressivenumber considering ten years ago Alas-kan fire deaths were three times thenational average. Please visit the Divisionof Fire Prevention’s website to see moredetail on fire fatality statistics. Thewebsite can be found at http://w w w . d p s . s t a t e . a k . u s / f i r e / a s p /alaskafireloss.asp

The decline can be attributed to in-creasing public awareness of fireprevention, increased community fire pre-vention activities sponsored by local firedepartments, improving housing stock,enforcement of life safety codes and in-creased use of fire safety equipment suchas smoke alarms and fire extinguishers.2003 Alaska Fire Picture at a Glance:

The following information has beensubmitted by fire departments to the State

Fire Marshal’s Office. The primary sourceof data used is the Alaska National Fire In-cident Reporting System (ANFIRS).

IMPORTANT: The data presented inthis profile does not represent 100% of thefires that occurred in the state. Rather,they are a sum of the fires reported to theState Fire Marshal’s Office from the firedepartments participating in ANFIRS.

This information may be used to give ageneral picture of the fire incidents in theState of Alaska. Without everyone’s coop-eration the information does not show afactual picture of the fire problem inAlaska.Fires:• Fires attended by Alaska fire depart-ments increased from the year 2002 by 4%to 2949.• Fires in structures were up from theyear 2002 by 1% to 752.• Residential properties accounted for70% or 529 of all structure fires.Fire Deaths:• Civilian fire deaths decreased from theyear 2002 by 20% to 7. All 7 civilians diedat home. There were no firefighter deathsreported in 2003.Fire Injuries:

• Civilian fire injuries decreased from theyear 2002 by 28% or 38.• Firefighter injuries decreased from theyear 2002 by 15% to 8.• Residential properties were the site of20 civilian and 4 firefighter injuries.• Property Damage• Property losses decreased from theyear 2002 by 12% to $25,546,038.• Structure fires caused $22,399,968 or88% of all property damage.• Residential property losses were$14,009,186 or 63% of all structure prop-erty loss.Intentional Fires:• Structure fires that were reported as in-tentional were down from the year 2002by less then 1% to 82.• Intentional structure fires accounted for11% of all structure fires.• Intentional structure fires accounted for4% or $971,350 of all structure propertydollar loss.• Intentional fires resulted in 1 civilian fa-tality.• Intentional vehicle fires increased by5% from the year 2002; resulting in$2,719,190 in mobile property damage for2003. �

We welcomed William “Bill” Bettacas the new Assistant State Fire Marshal inOctober. Mr. Bettac started a distin-guished career in Fire Protection/Prevention in February 1971 with theUnited States Air Force. After serving ourcountry for 4 years as a military firefighter,he started a long civil service career withthe Air Force.

He retired from federal service in De-cember 2001, after 29 years of active fireservice around the world. His last federalposition started in 1991 as the AssistantFire Chief of the Elmendorf Air Force BaseFire Department where he immediately fellin love with all aspects of Alaska. Follow-ing his retirement, he joined the State ofAlaska, Division of Homeland Security

Director’s Office

and Emergency Management team andworked as State Disaster Recovery Man-ager and a the Homeland Security Exerciseand Intelligence Officer.New Code Adopted:

Bill Bettac is the new Assistant State Fire Marshal.Title 13 of the Alaska Administrative

Code, Chapters 50 through 55, wasadopted and amended to the 2003 Interna-tional Building, Fire, and Mechanical

(Director, continued on page 22)

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Director, continued from page 21

Codes on August 27, 2004. Projects sub-mitted beyond that date is reviewed underthe new code.

Life Safetyand Inspection Bureau:

Life Safety and Inspection Bureau(LSIB) is pleased that Aaron Kershnerjoined the Bureau as the new Administra-tive Clerk III. Kershner is originally fromMaine, completed college in California,then traveled the world with the UnitedStates Air Force. He was a Firefighter/EMT for 15 years. He is married toMelanie and they have three childrenHailey, Tessa, and Zachary.

Congratulations to Deputy Fire Mar-shal I John Bond for passing theCommercial Mechanical Inspector certifi-cation exam.Training was the theme for this quarter

Deputy Fire Marshal II Carol Olson at-tended the Annual Alaska StateFirefighters Association and Alaska FireChiefs Association Joint Conference inSitka to teach Fire Investigation. Thecourse was well attended.

Deputy Fire Marshal I Dan Jonestaught the Fire Investigation for First Re-sponders to students at the Rural BasicFirefighter course in Kenai. The main ob-jective of the course was to help firstresponders recognize suspicious fires.

Aaron Kershner joined the Life Safety and Inspection Bureau.

Deputy Fire Marshal II Carol Olson at-tended a conference for training I Boardand Care Facilities in Sacramento, Califor-nia.

Two Deputy Fire Marshals attendedthe National Fire Academy in Emmitsburg,Maryland for training. DFM I RobertPlumb completed a course in Structuresand Systems and DMF I Dan Jones com-pleted a course in Fire InspectionPrincipals.

Deputy Fire Marshal I Steve “Rusty”Belanger completed a Basic Life Safetyfor Health Care Facilities course. He alsocompleted Juvenile Firesetter InterventionSpecialist training in Sitka.

The Division sponsored a course onHood and Duct Suppression Systems inAnchorage. The entire staff of LSIB andPRB attended the course.

Deputy Fire Marshal I Tom Depeter in-vestigated a fire death in Salcha. A31-year-old male died in a trailer.

Deputy Fire Marshal I John Bond andDeputy Fire Marshal I Steve “Rusty”Belanger traveled to Nikiski to investigatea fire death caused by misuse of a wood

Deputy Fire Marshal II Carol Olson

stove. This is the twelfth fire death thisyear.

Plan Review BureauThe Plan Review Bureau worked on

several large projects this quarter.Plans Examiner Kayle Lightkeeper is

working on the new school in King Cove.The school will be built on a beautiful 5-acre parcel and the school itself will spana creek on the property.

The section over the creek will be builton pilings to permit viewing of the creekfrom above. An observation platform isalso planned for the rear area of the build-ing. School designs are becoming moreaesthetically pleasing and incorporatemore elements of the environment.

Plans Examiner Dave Aden is complet-ing the review of the new Valley Hospital.The PRB is working very closely with thecontractors to ensure a safe design thatwill survive Alaskan weather conditions.

Plans Examiner Kayle Lightkeeper at-tended the Juvenile Firesetter InterventionSpecialist course in Sitka to assist with thecourse. �

Every . . .• 1 minute fire caused $78.00 in dam-age• 12 minutes a fire department re-sponded to a call

Time Clock • 18 minutes a fire department respondedto a rescue call• 2 hours a fire department responded toa good intent call• 2 hours a fire department responded toa false call• 4 hours a fire department responded toa service call

• 5 hours a fire department respondedto a hazardous call• 6 hours a fire department respondedto a structure fire• 12 hours a fire department re-sponded to a vehicle fire• 16 hours a fire department re-sponded to a residential fire. �

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Fire Service TrainingFire Service Training coordinated a Ru-

ral Basic Firefighter Class in Kenai. 14Students from rural parts of the state com-pleted sixty-four hours of intense fireprevention and firefighting training. Thisclass was funded under the AST COPsgrant and was conducted with the assis-tance of PRISM.Accredited Departments

Five new departments received accredi-tation approval during the past 12 months.At the FFI level they were: Haines, Nome,North Slope Borough, and Tri-Valley; atthe FFII level they were Ketchikan, Uni-versity of Alaska ESP program, andAnchorage Airport. Final accreditationtesting will be held in Wrangell in early in2005. This now brings the total of accred-ited departments to 25 at the FFI level and9 at the FFII level. The FEMA fire grantshave assisted a number of these communi-ties in finalizing their accreditation. FSTalso conducted audits in 5 departmentsduring the past year.

Fire Service Training provided trainingand logistical assistance during the 2004Annual Alaska State Firefighters Associa-tion and Alaska Fire Chief’s AssociationJoint Conference in Sitka.

Public Education OfficePublic Fire Educator of the YearAwarded

Ketchikan Fire Department AssistantChief Jim Hill was recognized as Alaska’sPublic Fire Educator of the Year, by theAlaska Division of Fire Prevention at the2004 Alaska State Firefighters Associationand Alaska Fire Chiefs Association JointAnnual Conference in Sitka, Alaska, Octo-ber 1, 2004.

Assistant Chief Hill was nominated forhis work coordinating fire prevention edu-cation efforts for the Ketchikan area.Assistant Chief Hill personally conductedover 200 hours of public education pre-sentations in area schools, implemented asmoke alarm installation program and as-sisted with the development of a boat firesafety program.

Ketchikan Fire Chief Richard Leipfertwrote “The City of Ketchikan due to itsmarine environment has a significant num-ber of boat fires annually. Assistant ChiefHill has taken it upon himself to educatethe boat owners of the area to boat firesafety. Through personal appearances atthe Ketchikan Yacht Club and through acontinued barrage of information to theboating community, Asst Chief Hill has in-cluded boating fire safety in the KetchikanFire Departments education program.These efforts have helped individualswithin the live aboard boat community tounderstand the significant hazards preva-lent in living on marine vessels.”

Alaska Home Fire SafetyImprovement Project

In October we welcomed Fire TrainingSpecialist Mahlon Greene. He is managingthe Alaska Home Fire Safety ImprovementProject. Mr. Greene has over fifteen yearsfire service experience with the Central

Mat-Su Fire Department. He will coordi-nate all activities for the project.

North Tongass Volunteer Fire Depart-ment recorded the first save for the AlaskaHome Fire Safety Improvement Project. OnNovember 1, Firefighter Andy Tighe pro-vided a home fire safety inspection for afamily and installed a smoke alarm, carbonmonoxide detector, 5 pound fire extin-guisher, fire escape ladder, bathtemperature card, kitchen timer, and 2 firesafe surge protectors. He also gave thefamily a short course on fire preventionand safety. On November 4, one of thechildren knocked a lamp over onto somebedding. The child did not notice that thelamp had fallen and left the room. A fewminutes later the smoke alarm soundedand the family of the mother, six childrenand an elder, evacuated the building whiletheir father went to investigate. He founda small fire and used the new fire extin-guisher to extinguish the fire. They called911 and the fire was completely out whenthe fire department arrived. The only dam-age was to the bedding. If this fire wouldhave happened before November 1, itcould have cost the family dearly. TheNorth Tongass VFD replaced the used ex-tinguisher.Carbon Monoxide Detectors - Mandated

Effective January 1, 2005, Carbon Mon-oxide Detectors will be required in alldwelling units that:• have an attached garage or carport• have a fueled appliance that producesby-products of combustion• are adjacent to a parking area

Carbon Monoxide Detectors shall havean alarm and shall be installed and main-tained according to manufacturer ’sinstructions.

To help avoid carbon monoxide poison-ing:• maintain adequate ventilation to the ap-pliance• maintain appliances and service regu-larly• do not allow vehicles to idle next to anopening, such as a door or window

The landlord shall provide smoke andcarbon monoxide detection devices. It isthe responsibility of the tenant to maintainthese devices. (AS 18.70.095) �

Training and Education Bureau

Assistant Chief Jim Hill received hisaward from Jodie Hettrick.

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The Alaska State Fire Marshal’s Officeoffers safety tips for the holiday season.The holiday season is the worst time ofyear to suffer an injury. Take a few min-utes to ensure you are celebrating safely.Fire Safety:• Keep your holiday decorations awayfrom all heat sources.• Ensure that your fire place chimney isclean and well maintained.• Remember – Space Heaters Need Space– Make sure that all combustibles are atleast three feet away from all heat sources.• Always check for smoldering cigarettesafter entertaining guests.• Provide deep ashtrays or ask guests tosmoke outside.• Store all matches and lighters in a se-cure area out children’s reach and site.Ladder Safety:• Before using a ladder outdoors, choosea location that is well away from all powerlines. Contact with live wires can be fatal.• Place the ladder on level ground andopen it completely, making sure all locksare engaged.• Stand at or below the highest safestanding level on a ladder. For a steplad-

der, the safe standing level is the secondrung from the top, and for an extensionladder, it’s the fourth rung from the top. • Always face the ladder when climbingand wear slip-resistant shoes, such asthose with rubber soles.Candle Safety:• Never use lighted candles on a tree ornear other evergreens.• Keep candles at least three feet awayfrom anything that can burn, includingother decorations and wrapping paper.• Always use stable, nonflammablecandle holders.• Place candles where they will not beknocked down or blown over and out ofreach of pets and young children.• Never leave burning candles unat-tended. Extinguish all candles beforegoing to sleep or leaving the room.• Do not decorate children’s rooms withcandles.• Always keep burning candles up high,out of the reach of children.• If you have children in your home,store candles, matches and lighters out oftheir sight and reach.Decorative Light Safety:

Holiday Fire Safety• Inspect holiday lights before decorat-ing. Replace any that are frayed orotherwise damaged. Pay special attentionto lights or decorations that may havebeen damaged from winter weather condi-tions.• Check for red or green UL marks on alllight strings. The green holographic ULMark means the light strings should beused only indoors. The red holographicUL Mark indicates the light strings can beused both inside and out — and can with-stand conditions related to outdoor use.• Follow manufacturer’s guidelines forstringing light sets together. As a generalrule, Underwriters Laboratories (UL) rec-ommends using no more than threestandard-size sets of lights together.• Do not overload extension cords orelectrical receptacles.• Unplug all holiday lights when you goto sleep or leave home.• Automatic lighting timers can be usedto ensure that lights are not left on. Theseare available for both indoor and outdoorapplications.• If you have children in your home, usesafety caps on all electrical receptacles. �

The last week of October, I had the in-credible experience of attending theInternational Fire Conference in St. Peters-burg, Russia. The trip was sponsored bythe National Law Enforcement and Correc-tions Technology Center – NW(NLECTC). Our group of eight comprisedfire and law enforcement personnel indi-viduals from across the U.S., with fivecoming from Alaska. My presentation atthe Conference was on the Project CodeRed. There was much interest in the con-cept, and I was interviewed on RussianTV. Some of the other countries present-ing were Russia, Latvia, Netherlands,Britain, and France.

After the Conference, we were treatedto a full day tour of a St. Petersburg firestation and the Institute of Fire.

International Fire ConferenceSt. Petersburg, Russia

BY GARY POWELL, STATE FIRE MARSHAL

The following day, we enjoyed thesame gracious treatment at the St. Peters-burg Police Academy – a full four-yearprogram with 20,000 students on campus.All police officers are required to attend aminimum of four years, with many doingsix or more and obtaining advanced de-grees. All instructors at both academieswere Ph.Ds., even the pump apparatus in-structor.

My overall impression of public safetyin Russia is that they are highly educatedand well trained, but lack the sophisti-cated equipment we enjoy in the U.S. Thiswas especially true in the fire service.They were very proud to put on a demon-stration for us using a pompier ladder,something that has been banned in most

A Russian firefighter demonstratesscaling a building with the use of apompier ladder.(Conference, continued on page 25)

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of the U.S. for over 30 years. Their equip-ment is old and patched together, and fewof the buildings are equipped with auto-matic suppression systems.

One of the highlights of the PoliceAcademy visit was the demonstration ofthe various Russian weapons and the op-portunity to shoot at their firing range. Tothe best of my knowledge, the pistol weshot with was a Makarov 9 mm, which feltfairly comfortable after my brief three-minute introduction. I did manage to tieour Russian host, General Silkin, andone of the other US members for the bestshot of the day. It appeared that the Rus-sians employ a different style of shooting(one-handed), and shoot longer distance(appeared to be 25 meters with handgun)than our law enforcement agencies.

The experience proved to be culturallyand professionally enlightening. �

Conference,continued from page 24

A Russian fire engine at the St. Petersburg Fire Institute.

Director Powell with General Silkin, one of the Department Heads at the RussianPolice Academy. Director Powell, General Silkin and Bruce Richter (retired APD)subsequently tied for best shot.

U.S. visitors were given a demonstrationof Russian weapons, including thistactical piece.

Division of Statewide Services

The Alaska State Crime Laboratoryhas a new tool for reading palms. Now,don’t get excited and think the laboratorycan predict how many kids you’re goingto have or your future spouse’s hair colorand astrological sign. This is a differentkind of palmistry.

The Crime Laboratory has purchased aSPEX Forensics palm print identification

We Want Your PalmsBY DALE BIVINS, ALASKA STATE CRIME LABORATORY

system. It is a stand- alone desktop sys-tem that works similarly to the WesternIdentification Network/Alaska AutomatedFingerprint Identification System (WIN/AAFIS). Instead of searching and match-ing finger impressions, the new systemwill search and match palm impressions.We have decided to name the system theAlaska Palm Identification System or

APIS. We have also decided to name our-selves the Masters of the Obvious.

The system can store palm impressionsfrom a total of twenty thousand individu-als. The initial database consists of palmimpressions from approximately six thou-sand individuals. Two thousand of theindividuals entered were on file at the

(Palms, continued on page 26)

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Marie Schneider was an administrativeclerk with the Scientific Crime DetectionLaboratory and has transferred to theState Department of Fish and Game’sGenetics Laboratory. Her co-workerswill miss her talents and knowledge.

On March 5, 2004, Debra Gillis, aCriminalist at the State Crime DetectionLaboratory, graduated from the NationalFirearms Examiner Academy (NFEA) inAmmendale, Maryland. The accomplish-ment was recently recognized by a letterfrom ATF Agent Bradley Earman, whichtranslated into a Certificate of Excellencepresented by David Schade on November8, 2004.

The NFEA is designed to provide fire-arm and toolmark-related training tofederal, state, and local apprentice/entrylevel firearm and toolmark examiners. Thisprogram consists of four phases and en-compasses a one-year time period. A totalof 14 students from across the countrywere accepted into and graduated fromthe 5th NFEA class of 2003.

Phase I of the Academy involves ap-proximately four months of in-houseassignments. This “Pre-Course” phase in-cludes written administrative/protocolrules and regulations as they pertain toeach examiner’s individual laboratory; re-search papers in the fields of blackpowder, evolution of early firearms andmodern ammunition development; and thehistory, principles, equipment and currentdevelopments in the field of FirearmsIdentification.

Phase II of the Academy was held atthe ATF Forensic Science Laboratory –Washington, located in the Washington,DC suburb of Ammendale for fifteen con-secutive weeks. The “Hands- On” phase

Palms, continued from page 25Alaska State Crime Laboratory, and theAnchorage Police Department submittedfour thousand individuals from their palmprint files. The database is a collaborativeeffort, and both agencies will continue toadd palm prints in the future and searchthe database.

Previously, if there was a latent palmdeveloped but no suspect, the case wasput on hold until a suspect was developedand known palm standards were submit-ted.

With this new system, fingerprint exam-iners can search the database and develop

Dale Bivins works with the new SPEXForensics palm print identificationsystem.

leads for investigators. The system has al-ready had two hits that have resulted intwo identifications. One was from a ve-hicle theft case, and the other was from acold case homicide.

The larger the known palm database,the better the chances are for getting amatch and making an identification. Italso helps if the palm print ridge detail isrecorded clearly and completely. ContactDale Bivins at the Alaska State CrimeLaboratory for information on how toproperly record and document inked palmimpressions. �

Criminalist Debra Gillis Completed Firearms TrainingBY JOHN GIACALONE

The National Firearms Examiner Academy graduation. (Debra Gillis is second fromthe right front row.)is designed to be in classroom and labora-tory settings. Students will participate ingroup and individual activities, practicalexercises, written examinations, tours ofammunition, firearm and tool manufactur-ers, and local museums.

Phase III involves a three-month timeframe at the Students’ individual laborato-ries and consists of completing apre-approved research project and fourpractical exercises intended for moot courttestimonies for Phase IV.

The final segment, Phase IV, consistsof a two-week “Follow-Up” program heldin the Washington, DC area. This moduleinvolves research project presentation,and moot court training and testimony in acourtroom setting. �

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The Alaska Drug Evaluation and Clas-sification/Drug Recognition Expert (DEC/DRE) program was first accepted in April2004, and has grown impressively in onlysix months. Alaska currently has fourfully certified DRE officers and on Novem-ber 6, 2004, in Anchorage, fifteen newAlaska DRE officers finished the class-room portion of their DRE training andmuch of the Field Evaluation training.These new DREs include several AST of-ficers including Sgt. Barry Wilson, ofAST/Soldotna, Trp. Chris Umbs of AST/Juneau, and Trp. Andrew Ballesteros ofAST/Fairbanks. Trps. David Herrell andTroy Shuey also completed the DRE train-ing and will join Sgt. Rick Terry,previously certified as a DRE, on the DUIenforcement team based in Palmer. Troop-ers Shuey and Herrell did not wait long toput their newfound knowledge into prac-tice.

On the way back to Palmer after a longnight performing training evaluations atthe Anchorage jail, these Troopers con-tacted a suspected impaired driver andproceeded to perform their first “real-life”evaluation, with assistance from one ofthe out-of-state instructors. All of thenew DREs will finish their Field Evaluationtraining and Final Knowledge Exams later

New AST DREs: (From left) Trp. David Herrell, Palmer; Trp. Chris Umbs, Juneau;Trp. Andrew Ballesteros, Fairbanks; Trp. Troy Shuey, Palmer; and Sgt. Barry Wilson,Soldotna

Alaska’s First Drug Recognition Expert (DRE) SchoolBY JEANNE SWARTZ, STATE DRE COORDINATOR

this year and take their places as fully-fledged Alaska DREs in early 2005.

The Alaska DRE program will continueto grow until we have at least twenty-fiveDREs statewide. So far, Sgt. Terry andone Anchorage Police Department DREofficer have performed over thirty DREevaluations between them in four months,so it is clear that this program is workableand greatly needed in Alaska. The pro-

gram owes a debt of gratitude to Mr.Chuck Hayes and Mr. Ernie Floegel ofIACP, who have patiently nurtured thegoal of an Alaskan DRE program for a de-cade. Other thank-yous are owed ColonelJulia Grimes, for her encouragement andsupport, and to Ms. Mary Rodman-Lopez,formerly of the Alaska Highway Safety Of-fice, for her integrity, determination, andspirit. �

In Other News:

Mystery solved! The "cool dude" on page20 has taken on a new look. Trp. DaveTugmon is now a "Mr. Clean" look-alikeand patrolling the area around KotzebuePost.

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When my husband, AST Capt. DavidR. Hudson, was activated last year full-time with the Alaska Army National Guard,we were not sure what all his tour of dutywould entail. He was changing one uni-form for another, and his job as a “peaceofficer” was temporarily changing to thatof a “peace keeper” and solider. We alsoknew changes for our family were immi-nent and that this experience would bringnew opportunities. It was shortly thereaf-ter, that he was selected to work on a jointproject between the Alaska NationalGuard and the Mongolian Governmentand Army. I was fortunate enough to beable to accompany him during his seconddeployment to this fascinating country.

Mongolia’s land mass is roughly thesize of Alaska’s, but their population is ap-proximately five times that of our state.Although land-locked, the topography isdiverse, ranging from the gentle steppe(similar to our tundra), to the mountains inthe north and the Gobi desert in the south.The vast majority of Mongolians are a no-madic people, traveling with their herds ofsheep, goats, horses, bovines, and cam-els. They are warm, friendly and openindividuals, who have a long history thatis steeped in their search for indepen-dence and the survival of their culture.Ninety-eight percent of Mongolians areBuddhist, and the evidence of their beliefs

Anchorage Police Officer TimothyLott, died November 6, 2004, at Provi-dence Alaska Medical Center after alengthy battle with mesothelioma cancer.

Mr. Lott was born December 31, 1956,in Biloxi, Mississippi, to Olen “Don” andHelen Lott. He moved with his parentsand sister to Alaska in 1958. In 1976, hegraduated from Dimond High School,where he was a popular student and ex-celled in sports, lettering in cross-countryrunning, track and field, and wrestling. Hewas a pilot and avid outdoorsmanthroughout his life and was at his happi-est when living the Alaska experience.

“He loved practical jokes and wasknown for his quick wit,” his family said.“He was a generous friend to many andvalued the company of his family.

He was the youngest officer to enterthe Anchorage Police Department’s Acad-emy at the age of 21. Officer Lott becamean APD patrol officer and later a senior pa-trol officer, assigned to patrol, traffic, andwarrants.

He worked as a traffic officer on theCrisis Intervention Response Team, an in-structor at the academy, a K-9 officer, anda warrants officer. He received numerousawards and recognitions for excellent ser-

vice. He competed in the Police Olympicsin Sydney, Australia, and won many goldmedals. He always had a dream of return-ing to Australia, having made manyfriends during his visit. Mayor MarkBegich awarded him with a 25-year servicemedal in 2004. His family said, “Tim trulytreasured his years with the AnchoragePolice Department. They were his secondfamily.”

Memorial donations may be made toSandy Lott, 170 W. Klatt Road, Anchor-age, Alaska, 99515. Funds will go towarda scholarship fund for their son, DonaldTimothy Lott. �

DPS Shares The Loss Of A Brother

Mongolia- An Emerging DemocracyBY DENISE S. HUDSON

and religion are everywhere and incorpo-rated in their daily lives.

In 1911, communism embracedMongolia, and ten years later it was the16th unofficial Soviet Republic. Commu-nism reigned until 1990, when theMongolian people pulled down Stalin’sstatue in front of the State Library, and re-lieved themselves from the shackles ofRussia. In 1996, Mongolians ousted thelongest-ruling communist party in theworld and elected the Democratic Coali-tion to Parliament. Like many countriesthat leave communist rule, they leave be-hind the infrastructure of government andstruggle to restructure. The winds ofchange are everywhere in Mongolia as itestablishes a new government, an eco-nomic base, and services. With anyrebirthing of a country, guidance and as-sistance from other countries is oftenrequired. David, his soldiers, and othermembers of the Alaska National Guard areproviding such assistance through infor-mation sharing and training.

One of the economic expansions forMongolia is tourism. Albeit, traveling toand within Mongolia is not for the lesshardy of travelers, the experience is re-warding and memorable. With theexception of some of the more populatedareas/cities, such as the capital,UlaanBaatar, the majority of the country is

wide open, remote, and reachable only byfour wheel drive, walking, camel, or horse-back. Visitors to Mongolia cannot helpbeing touched by the richness of thecounty’s beauty, culture and traditions.However, visitors are also quicklyhumbled by the recognition thatMongolian’s survive daily without theservices and materialistic items that wewesterners relay upon.

Because of extreme winter weather con-ditions and the migration of rural dwellersto the cities, Mongolia is experiencing pe-destrian and motor vehicle problems.UlaanBaatar is a city that only a few shortyears ago had only six or so motor ve-hicles. It now is the home to thousands ofvehicles, but there is little traffic infrastructure or management. Visitors soondiscover that pedestrian crosswalks arevirtually nonexistent, and there is no suchthing as pedestrian right away. Every win-ter in Mongolia hundreds of children arerun over by motor vehicles. Some of theincidents can be attributed to ruralchildren’s lack of understanding aboutmotor vehicles and how to safely crosstraffic. But most are due to the drivers’ in-ability to see the children during winterconditions and darkness. While inMongolia, David and I spoke with locallaw enforcement officers and management,

(Mongolia, continued on page 29)

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Mongolia, continued from page 28

and told them about the Safety Bear re-flector program that FOAST has beeninvolved with. The Mongolians that wemet with were very interested in the SafetyBear reflector program and would like toexplore ways in which they can implementa similar program. However, unfortunately

as with any country that is undergoingmassive transition and has no establishedeconomic base there is little or no financialsupport available for a comparable pro-gram. David and I are not howeverdeterred, and are going to explore ways inwhich we can assist the Mongoliansimplement a Safety Bear reflector and childsafety program. If anyone in the law en-

forcement community is interested inworking on such a program, or would liketo know more about Mongolian, pleasefeel free to contact us.

As David’s tour of duty with the Armywas recently extended, he will continue onactive duty, and I personally hope thatone of his missions will lead us back toMongolia. �

After so many years of workingChristmas and waiting to get the seniorityto have the holiday off with his family,Bob Thomaston finally had it. Now therewas a new wrinkle. He had the seniority,but he no longer lived at home with hiswife and kids. Like so many cops, the joband its many stresses had taken their toll.Now he not only had the seniority, butthis year Christmas Eve and ChristmasDay fell as his regular days off, now thathe didn’t need them.

For so many Christmases, Bob wouldrush home from work after a midnight andwatch his son Billy and daughter Debbie,open their presents. If he was workingdays, he would get the kids up early so hecould watch them open their packages be-fore he rushed out to relieve the officer onmidnights, so that officer could get hometo his family. He would always try tosneak home for a while to watch the kidsplay with their new toys. When heworked afternoons on Christmas, hewould be happy for the respite from thebickering that was going on by four in theafternoon over who had what toy, andwho wouldn’t give the other one a chanceto play with something.

He always looked forward to cominghome around midnight after the kids werein bed, and spending the rest of the

evening cuddling up with his wife in frontof the fireplace with the stereo playingChristmas carols and the room being litonly by the lights on the Christmas tree.

Now it was a thing of the past. The di-vorce was finalized this past June, just asschool got out. After all, you have to becivilized for the children’s sake. He movedout of the house before the month wasover. He got a small basement apartmentthat he could afford. It was nice and com-fortable, but a world apart from his ownhome of which he no longer had custody.He was just thankful that one of the copsat the stationhouse introduced him to anelderly couple (the cop’s parents) whowere looking to rent out the apartment tohelp cover the differences between pen-sions and taxes. It was big enough for thekids to come and stay over when he hadhis visitation. He had to say, at least witheverything else that happened, his ex-wifeSuzanne was generous with the visitation.The kids could stay with him when he wason his days off. She didn’t hold him to atight court ordered timetable.

That’s what made this so difficult forhim. It was their first Christmas apart as afamily. He was supposed to have the kidsfrom six pm Christmas Eve night to six pmChristmas night. He received a call fromSuzanne a couple weeks before. Her new“friend”, Jim, owned a condo outsideDisneyworld, and he invited her and thekids to spend the holidays with him. Shewent on to tell Bob what a good time thekids would be having and that it was a tripof a lifetime for them. He started to pro-test, but was quickly met with theresponse of, “I’ve never held you to setdays and times, why are you giving me

such a hard time? Would you like it if Istuck to the words of the court visitation,instead of when it was convenient foryou?”

Bob knew if he argued he’d lose in thelong run, so he relented. He knew itwouldn’t be a pleasant Christmas for any-one if the kids were in the middle of aholiday family dispute. Why not let themgo to Florida. It would be a long time be-fore he would be able to take them on avacation like that. So Bob relented.

Now it was Christmas Eve. After 16years on the job, where did Bob find him-self at three thirty in the afternoon? In thelocker room, getting ready for a four totwelve shift. It wasn’t his regular shift, butan overtime shift. Many of the officerswith families wanted time off to be homefor the holiday. The tour sergeant knewthe situation Bob was in, since he hadbeen there himself. He figured Bob coulduse some OT to cover expenses and of-fered him the shift on overtime. Bobfigured with the kids away, he might aswell work and let someone else enjoy theholiday.

At roll call, assignments for the shiftwere given out. Bob received his, HolidayPatrol. Besides making sure the last

Merry Christmas Officer ©

BY KEITH J. BETTINGER

(Merry Christmas, continued on page 30)

Now he not only had theseniority, but this year Christ-mas Eve and Christmas Dayfell as his regular days off,now that he didn’t need them.

After 16 years on the job,where did Bob find himself atthree thirty in the afternoon?In the locker room, gettingready for a four to twelveshift.

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was going to take me to the senior citizencenter. There’s a whole bunch of us whoare alone and we get together each Christ-mas Eve at the center so we have oneanother to share the holiday with.”Bob, took her arm, and said “Why don’tyou let me give you a ride in the police car.I’m sure your friend is probably there al-ready.”

Bob helped her into the car and droveher to the center. It was all decked out infestive lights. The woman saw herfriend’s car in the parking lot, and was re-lieved to see that everything was okay.As Bob was dropping her off, she thankedhim and asked, “Do you have some placeto go, or would you like to come in andjoin us and have a cup of coffee?”

Bob looked at her and said, “For thefirst time in many years, I don’t have any-place to go. I’d love to come in and havea cup of coffee with you and yourfriends.”

When Bob got into the center, therewas a bunch of senior citizens around theChristmas tree and the piano singing car-ols. He was welcomed, and introducedhimself. He called the stationhouse fromwithin the center and told the Sergeantwhere he was and asked if anything wasgoing on. The Sergeant told him no, justkeep the portable radio handy and theywould call him if they needed him.

Bob was having a cup of coffee andenjoying the carols being sung. Suddenlya couple of the seniors called the othersaround the Christmas tree. The womanthat Bob had given the ride to, startedhanding out presents to all of the peoplethat were there. Bob quietly moved intothe background and was enjoying thescene when his new found friend came upand handed him a brightly wrapped pack-age, and said, “Merry Christmas, Bob.”

Bob, was taken back. He stammered ashe said, “I, I can’t take this, I’m not part of

minute shoppers were safe, and the storeowners were able to close without some-one helping themselves to the holidayprofits, he was assigned a seven thirty pmchurch crossing at the local communitychurch.

“Great,” Bob thought, “I get to stand inthe middle of the street, ankle deep insnow and slush, wishing everyone aMerry Christmas on their way to church.If I’m lucky I’ll thaw out just in time to getout and freeze some more while I crossthem on their way home.”

Just before seven thirty Bob pulled upin front of the church. It was set up forone of the most holy Christian holidays.There was a large Nativity set on the frontlawn with a ceramic baby in the manger.The scene was set upon straw, with thesnow coming up to meet it. Bob won-dered, was it this cold at Bethlehem? Thelarge pine trees in front of the church weredecked out with hundreds of multicoloredlights. There were 2 large evergreenwreaths on the front doors of the church,and its bells were pealing Christmas Car-ols. Bob parked the car about fifty feetfrom the front of the church out of theway of the pedestrians. He got out andturned on the overhead spotlight on thetelephone pole that lit up the crosswalks.He then put on his white gloves and tookhis flashlight, and started directing trafficand crossing the churchgoers.

Just as he thought, he was greetedwith salutations of “Merry Christmas, Of-ficer” and from those that knew him,“Merry Christmas, Bob”.

Bob returned all the greetings with asmile on his face and an ache in his heart.When the final worshipper was in church,he went back to the police car and satdown. He turned it on and pushed theheat up all the way trying to get warm.While he was rubbing his hands togetherand stamping his feet, he was surprised

by a knock on the passenger side window.Standing there was one of the alter boysin his black and white tunic. Bob loweredthe window, and asked, “Can I help youyoung man?”

The alter boy, rubbing his hands to-gether against the cold said, “PastorPearsall appreciates your being here to-night. He thought you might like to joinus. He has a quiet spot set up for youwith some hot coffee and cake. He figuredyou could use some warming up to gowith the spirit of the holiday.”

Bob sat in a small room where the choirgot ready before services off to the side ofthe church. He listened to the Christmasstory and heard the carols as he sippedhis coffee and had some homemade raisincake. As the service was drawing to aclose, Bob was starting to get dressedagain. Just as he was finishing gettingdressed, he heard the pastor in his closingprayers ask the congregation to join himin asking the Lord’s blessings and to per-sonally thank all those people who areworking tonight to be sure we are safe andhealthy, namely the police, the firefighters,the ambulance crews and all the peopleworking in the hospitals. This gave Bob achill as he heard everyone say “Amen” inunison. First time in a long time someonethanked him for doing his job, and now itwas a church full.

Bob was out at his crossing when thedoors of the church opened. The parish-ioners exited the church and crossed thestreet and all called out “Merry Christmasand Thank you.” It didn’t seem so coldthis time. Bob was flushed with a warmfeeling. It was a long time since he feltsomeone appreciated him for doing thejob.

After Bob finished the church crossinghe got back in his police car and wasabout to leave. He figured maybe hewould see if he could pick up somethingto eat for everyone in the stationhouse.As he was about to pull away, he saw anelderly woman standing out in front of thechurch all alone. He got back out of thepatrol car and walked over and asked, “Isanything wrong, Ma’am?”

She looked at him and said, “I was sup-posed to meet my friend after church. She (Merry Christmas, continued on page 31)

Merry Christmas, continued from page 29

While he was rubbing hishands together and stamp-ing his feet, he wassurprised by a knock on thepassenger side window.

“For the first time in manyyears, I don’t have anyplaceto go..."

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The Alaska Department of Public Safety complies with Title II of the 1990 Americans With Disabilities Act. This publication is available in alternative communicationformats upon request. To make necessary arrangements, contact Tim DeSpain at (907) 269-5549 or the TDD at (907) 269-5094.

the group. Besides, I don’t have anythingto share with you.”

She looked at him and said, “This isour gift to you. We have quite a few giftsto give out. They’re small gifts, so every-one who is alone has something, and youlook like you could use some friends thisChristmas.”

Bob was fighting back some tears as hethanked her. He opened the present andfound a tin of homemade Christmas cook-ies. Christmas cookies like his motherused to make, and cookies like his wifeand kids made each year for Christmas.Cookies like the ones he didn’t expect tohave this year.

He went around the room and shookhands and kissed his new friends. Theyall wished him a Merry Christmas. Theywere singing Christmas Carols and hejoined in. The spirit of the holiday seasonwas in him. He thanked every one of themfor allowing him to join in. He asked whenthe party was breaking up, and found outthey would be closing up for the eveningat around midnight. He told them he wasgoing to go back to the stationhouse andshare the cookies with his friends whowere working, and promised to be back bymidnight to make sure everyone got outsafely. Before he left, they told him hewas invited back when the center openedin the morning for Christmas breakfast,and in the afternoon the seniors would bedelivering Christmas dinner to the mem-bers who were now shut-ins before theyhad their own Christmas dinner at the cen-ter.

Bob went back to the stationhouse andshared his gift with his friends and toldthem about his experience. The othercops hadn’t seen Bob so alive in quite awhile. As the end of the shift rolledaround, some of Bob’s coworkers wentback to the center with him to make sure

everyone who needed a ride got one andarrived home safely.

Christmas morning Bob was up early.He wanted to go back to the center, butdidn’t want to go empty handed. Hedidn’t have too much tucked away foremergencies. But, he took the fifty dollarbill he had hidden away and went to hisfriend Fred’s home. Fred owned a whole-sale nursery and lived on the property.Bob went up and rang the bell at 8 in themorning.

One of Fred’s kids opened the doorand said “Dad someone’s here.”

Fred came to the door and Bob andFred exchanged Christmas greetings.

Fred said “I haven’t seen you in awhile Bob. How are things going?”

“Well it’s lonely living alone. I didn’tcome around to buy my usual stock forplanting since I don’t live at home any-more. Not much sense in making it lookbetter for someone else. I didn’t come tocomplain, but I do need some help. I metsome new friends last night, senior citi-zens at the senior center. They made me apart of their holiday and treated me like along lost son. I’d like to return the favor.Do you have anything handy? A bunchof small plants maybe, about fifty dollarsworth. I’m sorry to bother you on Christ-mas, Fred, but I can’t go back emptyhanded.”

Fred smiled and said, “There’s onething wrong with poinsettias. They’reonly good for Christmas, and you can’tsave them for next year. I have a bunch inthe greenhouse that I got stuck with.Take’em. I have to get back inside to myfamily. Just use the green and red foils towrap the pots. Put them to good use,spread some happiness.”

Bob stuttered as he said, “Thank you,but I can’t just take them. Besides I wantto give them as gifts. It wouldn’t be rightfor you to foot the bill and me to look likethe hero.”

Fred said, “Let’s make a deal. You cleanthem out of my greenhouse, make someroom for me, and we’ll call it even. Nowwrap’em up and get them out of here.Merry Christmas Bob.” (Merry Christmas, continued on page 32)

Merry Christmas, continued from page 30

Bob went into the greenhouse andthere were about 50 poinsettias that didn’tfind a home before Christmas. Hewrapped each pot in red or green foil andfilled his station wagon with them. Theywere all different sizes and came with crim-son red, white, and blushing pink flowers.

When he arrived at the center, hebacked right up to the senior center doorand unloaded them into the building.There were about 30 seniors there. Bobgave each of them a flower and with a bigsmile wished everyone a Merry Christmas.The smaller poinsettias were placed withthe 20 meals they were delivering to shut-ins. Bob drove some of the seniorsaround and helped them deliver the foodto the seniors who couldn’t get around.He was thrilled to see the joy a small plantbrought to their faces. Bob felt a warmthand a purpose for being. He was happy.He didn’t feel alone anymore.

In the afternoon, when he got back tothe center, not only was he invited to joinin the Christmas dinner, but he was told tocall the stationhouse, and have those of-ficers who couldn’t get home for dinner orlived alone, to stop by and have some-thing to eat. There was plenty foreveryone. Five of the officers stopped byat staggered times and enjoyed them-selves. Nobody left feeling they had beenforgotten on this holiday or that it wasjust another workday.

As the day was winding down, Bobhelped with the cleaning up and joined inthe talk of Christmases past. AlthoughChristmas was not the same as it used tobe, he found sharing his stories and lis-tening to others was a pleasantexperience. When the day was over he

The spirit of the holidayseason was in him. Hethanked every one of themfor allowing him to join in.

“Let’s make a deal. Youclean them out of my green-house, make some room forme, and we’ll call it even.Now wrap 'em up and getthem out of here."

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© WINTER 2004

STATE OF ALASKA

DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY

FRANK MURKOWSKI

GOVERNOR

BILL TANDESKE

COMMISSIONER

TED BACHMAN

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER

COLONEL JULIA GRIMES, DIRECTOR

ALASKA STATE TROOPERS

GARY L. POWELL, DIRECTOR

FIRE PREVENTION

DAVE SCHADE, DIRECTOR

STATEWIDE SERVICES

DAN SPENCER, DIRECTOR

ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES

JIM MEEHANACTING DIRECTOR

ALASKA POLICE STANDARDS COUNCIL

DOUG GRIFFIN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTORALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE CONTROL BOARD

(VACANT)EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

COUNCIL ON DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

AND SEXUAL ASSAULT

THE QUARTERLY is written byand produced for the employees andfriends of the State of Alaska Depart-ment of Public Safety. Its purpose isto inform, educate and entertain. It ispublished four times a year by thePublic Information Office.

Reader comments are encouragedand welcome. Reprint permission isgranted on all materials not underowner copyright. Please credit thispublication, and provide a copy of thepublication in which the material isused.

Entry date for the next issue isFebruary 1, 2005. You are invited tocontribute to THE QUARTERLY bysubmitting materials to:

Public Information OfficeTHE QUARTERLY, Editor5700 East Tudor RoadAnchorage, Alaska 99507PHONE: 1-(907) 269-5654 orFAX to: 1-(907) 338-0276 [email protected]

THE DPS

QUARTERLY

Is this a cat Halloween costume? No, Dave Schade attended a recent SHAREfundraiser. Actually he more than attended he participated! A “good time” was hadby…most. See more information on SHARE beginning on page 5.

Merry Christmas, continued from page 31

drove a few of the seniors home. He thenstopped by the stationhouse for a lastminute holiday visit with his coworkers,and all the cops who had stopped bycouldn’t stop talking about the experi-ence. The officers who didn’t make itseemed envious. They all wanted to knowif it was going to be the same next yearand what could they do to help. The truemeaning of the holiday seemed to havebitten them all.

Bob finally left the stationhouse andwent back to his apartment. He had asmall ceramic Christmas tree on an endtable. He turned its lights on. He turnedon the stereo and was listening to Christ-mas carols as he settled into his easy chairwith a cup of hot coffee and was lookingat a photo of his children that he had re-ceived from them as a Christmas presentbefore they left. Just as he settled in, thephone rang. He picked it up and said“Hello.”

He heard from the other end of thephone in unison “Merry Christmas Dad!Where have you been? We’ve been call-ing all day? We were starting to worryabout you.”

He said “Hi Billy, Hi Debbie, MerryChristmas! How are things in Florida?”

Billy said “Terrible. It’s too hot.Seaworld was crowded, Mom’s friend Jimbroke his toe, and we couldn’t go toDisneyworld. We wish we stayed homewith you Dad. Do you miss us?” Bobcould feel a smile creeping onto his face,and tried to shake off a sense of smug sat-isfaction as he said, “I sure do. I wish thetwo of you were here with me. I’vemissed you both.”

“What did you do today Dad?”,Debbie asked.

Bob smiled as he said, “Not much, Ispent the day with some new friends.”

Debbie asked, “Did you get anythingelse besides our present for Christmas?”

“I sure did” Bob said. “I got somecookies and a lot of love. Other than hav-ing you two here, what more could I askfor? It’s really been kind of a specialChristmas.”

(This story is published by permissionof the author. Keith Bettinger, 9669 VistaCrest Avenue, Las Vegas, NV 89148; 702-795-8616; E-mail: [email protected].) �